Something Borrowed
by mikotyzini
Summary: Blake's new neighbor is beautiful, gregarious, and definitely NOT interested in someone as boring as herself - no matter how much her imagination loves to think otherwise. Yang's new neighbor is gorgeous, reserved, and shy enough that she worries about being too forward...so she finds another way for them to get to know each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Long time no post! I have been writing, but have been dragging my feet when getting around to posting things because of nerves. But I do have this small story finished for you guys. A real quick read, not anything too fancy, but hopefully you still enjoy it!**

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As far as exciting lives went, hers was...probably not the most exciting.

Not that she minded! Well sometimes she minded, but most of the time she didn't stop to consider whether her life was exciting or not. It never felt like she had time to consider things like that - although, in actuality, she probably had plenty of opportunities to do just that.

Her daily routine was simple - first, wake up and head to work at a desk job that required very little in terms of creativity or imagination. After putting in the required time she would head home, make dinner, and read a book until setting off to sleep. The next morning she would get up and repeat the process all over again.

Life - at least, _real_ life - was rather uninteresting. Growing up, she'd been filled with dreams of adventure and voyeur just like any other child - she was going to see the world. She was going to _change_ the world. But as she'd grown older and learned how life really worked, those naive visions had fallen by the wayside. For every hero - for every 'love at first sight' - there were a hundred others just struggling to meet the rigorous demands of daily life.

But even if she couldn't play the hero or love interest in this life, she could _pretend_. That was one of the reasons she spent so much of her free time living in imaginary worlds where anything and everything was possible. Reading unlocked and engaged the part of her mind that sat dormant all day; it spoke to the child in her that still wanted to learn how to tame dragons and battle pirates.

What she read was merely fiction - dreams written on a page for others to enjoy, but for someone as reserved as herself there would probably never be any wild adventures to faraway lands or mystical endeavors in another realm. She would never elope with a complete stranger who just so happened to be royalty in disguise, or get swept up into an investigative mystery centuries in the making.

Her only real life adventure involved trying to find a grocery store when the one down the street had temporarily closed for renovations. Her only real life mystery was trying to figure out who kept taking her stapler at work and leaving it in the break room.

Through books, she traveled the world without ever stepping outside her apartment door. She experienced, vicariously, emotions and events a homebody like herself would never expect to discover. They also made her yearn for something...more...but whenever she thought about what exactly that might be, those relentless things called 'jobs' and 'responsibilities' got in the way.

At the end of the day there were people who would live a life filled with adventures and there were people who would live in the real world. Regrettably, she had somehow ended up in the latter group, but by now she'd accepted who she was. So even though many people would classify her routine as boring, dull, or monotonous, it was comforting, it was hers, and it hadn't changed in years.

Until the day she got new neighbors.

Looking back, maybe there'd been some sort of sign that things were going to change. Had the stars shone brighter the night before? Had the sun followed her path on the way to work? For such a momentous change, the idealistic part of her said that there must have been a clue hidden somewhere that predicated the moment. The realistic part of her thought that the day had probably begun just like any other.

For the past three years she'd lived next door to the Emersons - an elderly couple who kept to themselves just as much as Blake did. From what she'd gathered during chance meetings in the hall, the couple had several adult children who had moved out some time ago. Now living alone, the Emersons were retired, homely, and exceptionally quiet - barely making a peep of noise. This was an excellent quality in anyone who shared a wall with her, especially when she considered herself to have better than average hearing. It had turned out to be a match made in heaven - the perfect neighbors in the quaint little apartment building she called home.

So when she'd learned that the Emersons were moving out (from the burly men walking boxes to the moving truck outside rather than through actual communication), she'd been more than a little disappointed. And apprehensive. Who would live beside her next? Insomniacs who loved to throw loud parties and eat boiled cabbage?

Thankfully, there were no cabbage parties for the next few days while the apartment sat empty. The dead quiet turned out to be even better than having the Emersons nearby and the week following their departure had been positively blissful - not because they'd ever been loud, but because she suddenly felt completely unmonitored. She could have thrown a huge party if she wanted. Or blasted really loud music. Or boiled a bunch of cabbage. Not that she had done any of those things...she'd stayed in and read just like she normally did, but having the option turned out to be more invigorating than she'd ever expected.

Of course, all good things must come to an end...and this one did when she rushed home from work one evening and found that the sign outside the building advertising a space for rent had been taken down.

Thinking nothing of it, she made her way inside and up three flights of stairs to the fourth floor on autopilot, mentally prepared to forget her day at work and begin a relaxing evening. There was a new series she'd begun reading several days ago and she could already feel the hooks of a good story settling into her mind. A familiar feeling was growing in her chest that she just _had_ to know what would happen next.

Taking the stairs was a habit of hers mostly because it was the only kind of physical activity she'd see during the day, but also because the elevators in the building could sometimes take _so_ long to arrive on the ground floor. It wasn't worth waiting when she could easily trot up the steps and be home in no time. Plus, this way she avoided any uncomfortable, silent elevator rides with her fellow neighbors. It was a win-win.

After pushing open the stairwell door on the fourth floor, she walked the short distance to the end of the hallway and took the right turn that would lead to her door.

"Woah!" she yelped in surprise when a tiny creature appeared out of nowhere and ran beneath her feet, nearly causing her to trip while simultaneously giving her a small heart attack. Jumping off to the side of the hall, she stared in surprise at what turned out to be a small dog running freely about the hallway. The pet briefly turned and gave her a happy wag of his tail before rushing ahead and ducking into what had previously been the Emerson's empty apartment.

When her gaze followed the animal she spotted boxes - lots of them - sitting _everywhere_ in the corridor. Each one had a description hastily scrawled on one side in black marker - kitchen, living room, movies, dishes...thankfully none of the boxes were blocking the path to her door, but they came awfully close.

Apparently someone was already moving into the Emerson's old apartment. Hopefully that wasn't their dog...although from the way he'd just run through the open door she would have to assume she wouldn't be so fortunate today.

Great.

It wasn't that she didn't _like_ dogs...it was just that they didn't really have the same _energy_ that she did. If she were to ever have a pet, she would definitely be getting a cat. They were cute, they were small, and they wouldn't mind curling up to sleep for hours on end while she read her books.

Dogs were...energetic. As were the people who usually owned them.

Hearing the sound of voices approaching the corridor, she straightened and mentally prepared herself to meet the tenants who would be sharing a wall with her for the next...however long they planned on living here. Older couple? Younger couple with kids? Toddlers? Screaming babies? The scenarios got worse and worse the closer the voices came.

A few seconds later, her new neighbors stepped out into the hallway and...they were definitely _not_ the people she'd expected to see.

The two girls were talking amongst themselves, joking happily about something. They weren't very old at all - probably just around her age - and they seemed very...lively. Without even looking down, they managed to avoid trodding on the tiny dog dodging underneath their footsteps the entire time.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, staring openly, they immediately noticed her - both doing a little double take while their laughter faded to silence. She had been staring at them, but now they were staring back and it made her squirm in discomfort.

"Uhm...hello," she said, trying out the sound of her voice.

The greeting seemed to have been uttered with some sort of magic - lighting bright smiles on both girls' faces at the exact same moment.

"Hi!" the slightly shorter one quipped, walking forward with an animated bounce before stopping right in front of her face. "I'm Ruby!"

Politely taking the hand that came shooting towards her, she gave it a light shake before backing slightly away from the waves of uncontrollable energy emanating from the girl. Ruby was practically bouncing up and down in abundant pleasure to meet her, which was...flattering? But also a tiny bit overwhelming.

"Blake," she replied, jumping a little in surprise when something unexpectedly pressed into her ankle. Looking down she found the dog smelling the hem of her pants, wagging his tail softly while inspecting her carefully.

"Oh, and this is Zwei!" Ruby added, reaching down and scooping the dog up in both arms. "Don't worry, he's super friendly. Aren't you little Zwei Zwei? Aren't you super duper friendly? Oh yes you are!"

While Blake was busy staring in dismay at the girl nuzzling noses with an extremely happy puppy, a hand appeared upon Ruby's shoulder - reminding Blake of someone else's presence. Glancing up, she found herself staring at...how to appropriately describe the second girl? Slightly taller than Ruby with blonde waves of hair reaching all the way down her back, vibrant lilac eyes, and an effortlessly beautiful smile, the girl looked like she'd just stepped off the front cover of a fashion magazine.

"Please excuse my lil' sis here - she just ate like an _entire_ package of cookies."

"I only ate half!" the brunette immediately whined, setting Zwei back on the ground with a playful pout.

"I'm Yang, by the way," the blonde continued without so much as a glance at her younger sister. "It's nice to meet you, Blake. Looks like we're gonna be neighbors!"

Accepting the second hand when it was offered, Blake shook it numbly - noticing how remarkably warm the girl's hands were and how lilac eyes never broke eye contact with her own.

"It's very nice to meet you two," she replied, releasing Yang's hand quickly and clasping hers together in front of her waist. The energy coming from Yang was overwhelming in a completely different way than Ruby's was, but Blake couldn't put a finger on what was causing it. Still, she needed to be polite...these were her new neighbors, after all.

"Um...do you need any help?"

Gesturing towards all of the boxes in the hallway, she sincerely hoped they would decline the offer - she was beginning to feel a little light-headed from the unexpected and _gigantic_ change in her living environment. Plus, the longer Yang stared at her, the hotter she could feel her cheeks becoming.

"Ah, don't worry - we got this," Yang answered, giving Blake a wink that made her instantly blush full force. "Don't we, Ruby?"

The brunette glanced at her sister once before looking back at Blake.

"Well, you know, we _could_ -"

"Really nice to meet you!" the blonde suddenly spoke over the girl, grabbing her sister's elbow and pushing her gently towards their stacks of boxes.

"You too," Blake repeated quietly, staring for a few seconds while the two girls each picked up another box and headed back into their new home. Both Ruby and Yang glanced back towards her before disappearing into the apartment, making Blake flush again in embarrassment for being caught gawking.

Shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the deep flush, she then turned to her own apartment door, fished her keys out of her pocket, and unlocked it. Once she was safely on the other side, she leaned against the solid wood and let out a long exhale.

Her heart was inexplicably racing, most likely from the unexpected social interaction with two girls she could only consider to be her peers. It was one thing when she'd lived next door to an elderly couple - she wasn't expected to give them more than small smiles when they happened to pass each other in the corridor or in the lobby. But if they were in her age group much more interaction would be demanded by their very presence.

This was definitely not what she'd been prepared for when she'd left work today.

Even though the recent change was unsettling, curiosity and intrigue were beginning to grow. The blonde girl in particular...Yang...there was something about Yang that made Blake's stomach do this strange little flip. Maybe it was the way Yang had smiled so genuinely and looked at Blake as if she was the only thing in the entire hallway worth focusing on.

Wishful thinking, Blake chastised herself lightly before finally pushing away from the front door.

Deciding that the best way to settle down would be to go about her routine as if nothing had happened, she changed out of her work clothes before walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner. After she'd finished cooking a delicious seafood pasta, she carried the steaming bowl out into the combined living room/dining room area and sat down at the small round table where she normally ate her meals.

Everything was normal - nothing had changed.

Except that every once in awhile she could hear the two girls through their shared wall, laughing and talking while bringing the rest of their boxes inside. The two of them seemed to laugh easily - the merry sound filtering through the wall often. Blake couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about that was so enjoyable. Was it work related? Family related? Inside jokes?

When she was finished with dinner she quickly cleaned up everything in the kitchen, leaving it in immaculate condition just as she'd found it. Only then did she allow herself to partake in her favorite activity of the night - curling up in her favorite chair with a good book.

The chair was oversized, the cushions extra squishy and soft with high armrests she loved to lean against when she'd been sitting for a little too long. It sat right by the window overlooking the street in front of the apartment building, the location ideal for catching as much natural light as possible during the day while also enjoying the twinkling city lights at night.

Grabbing her current reading material off of the small table beside the chair, she flipped it open to the bookmark before even sitting down - eyes engrossed in the page immediately. The sound of laughter from the room beyond was still audible every few minutes, but she found the noise much less bothersome than she might have expected. Maybe that was because they sounded so cheerful...it was hard to be upset with the lack of quiet when someone was that happy.

Sisters...and a dog. It would be interesting, to say the least.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two chapters, one day, because why not? I've missed you guys!**

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"She seems nice!"

"Mhmm…"

"I was worried we'd get some grouchy ol' neighbors," Ruby continued while tossing the last box on top of the large stack in one corner of the barren living room. "But she doesn't seem grouchy at all."

"No. No, she does not…"

Ever since meeting their new next door neighbor - who was, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl she'd ever met - Yang had been hopelessly lost in thought. Unpacking had been at the forefront of her mind before their chance encounter in the hallway, but now she couldn't seem to get the girl out of her head.

Blake. That was a great name. It suited her too. Unique and pretty. Uniquely pretty. And pretty unique.

Yang wanted to know so much more about the girl than just her name though. What was she like? What did she like to do? Last name? Middle name? Favorite movie?

"Weiss and I are gonna get dinner. You wanna come?" Ruby's question drew Yang's attention back to her little sister and the new apartment they would now call home.

"Naw that's ok. You two have fun without me," she replied as she flopped down on the sofa they'd carried up three flights of stairs just a few hours earlier. "I'm totally wiped."

Ruby collapsed beside her with a loud huff of air.

"No kidding...that was a ton of work!"

"Maybe we should have taken Weiss up on her offer to hire movers, after all."

When Ruby giggled, Yang just smiled. Weiss had offered to pay for their move, but they had politely declined. Even though the girl had more money than most governments it just hadn't felt right to make her pay for something she wasn't even remotely involved in. Plus, there was something satisfying about doing it all themselves. Satisfying and exhausting.

Although, speaking of Weiss…

"Wait - why didn't Weiss help us carry in boxes?" she suddenly asked. They'd been so busy packing recently that it never even occurred to her that Weiss could have helped them with the actual moving herself.

"She had to work."

"Ah - right - convenient excuse," Yang remarked with a shake of her head. "Guess offering to pay for the entire thing was her idea of helping."

"And you declined!" Ruby reminded her. "So no complaints."

"Yeah, yeah…" she muttered while closing her eyes and leaning her head against the sofa, exhaustion growing. "Don't think I'm gonna unpack anything today…"

It had been a dumb idea to make a competition out of carrying the boxes upstairs to the hallway. Ruby had beaten her handily and she'd wasted all of her energy trying to catch up. Now she was paying for it dearly...her arms and legs were screaming at her for the exerted effort that had been in vain from the start.

When Ruby didn't say anything in reply, it was entirely possible that Yang might have fallen asleep for a few seconds in the comforting silence. It didn't last for long though - she woke up to a strange sound reaching her ears. Lifting her head with considerable effort, her suddenly groggy mind struggled to identify the source of the noise.

"What's that?" she asked, noticing Ruby yawning beside her. Listening closely, the sound grew louder in the hallway - a rhythmic _clack, clack, clack_ that was swiftly approaching their door. "Is that...Weiss?"

Ruby answered the question by jumping up from the sofa and flying to the front door to fling it open. Sure enough, an overdressed Weiss Schnee was standing on the other side, one hand still raised as if she'd been just about to knock.

"Weiss!"

While Ruby leapt into the girl's arms and smothered her with affection, Yang slowly peeled herself off the couch and walked over to greet the girl.

Did she say greet? She meant tease. But those words were pretty interchangeable when it came to Weiss.

"What's up with the heels, Weiss? Pretty sure the deaf couple downstairs is gonna be complaining."

Weiss tried to scowl at her, but Ruby bounced in between them and made the girl smile instead. "They're supposed to be loud," Weiss managed to quip over Ruby's boundless energy.

Yang couldn't help laughing at both the response and the scene of Weiss trying to be annoyed with her while at the same time happy to see Ruby.

"So they're like...intentionally obnoxious heels or something?"

"Yes."

"What's the point in that?"

"That way people know when the boss is coming!" Ruby answered happily, arms wrapped around Weiss from behind while nuzzling into Weiss' shoulder. "Then they can be on their beeeeeest behavior!"

"Wouldn't you rather sneak up on them and know what they're saying behind your back?" Yang asked.

"That's what the cameras are for."

Initially she chuckled because she thought it was a joke, but the serious expression Weiss returned told her the opposite. Seeing that Weiss was in no mood for playful banter today, Yang waved the two girls away and made her way back to the sofa to collapse into it once more.

"Glad I don't work for you, Weiss! Have a good dinner though."

"Yeah! Dinner! I'm starving," Ruby commented as she pulled Weiss back into the hall. "Where are we going? Somewhere fast? Somewhere fancy? Somewhere fast and fancy?"

When the pair left, with the sound of Ruby's voice buzzing excitedly down the hallway to accompany the sound of Weiss' heels, Yang sighed and leaned her head back against the sofa. Zwei bumped his nose into her knee a second later, forcing her head back up in order to look at the happy puppy sitting at her feet.

"I know," she said, sending a tired smile down to him. "Ruff day, huh?"

She grinned when Zwei wagged his tail - clearly amused by her play on words. He was her number one fan, after all. Reaching down, she picked him up and set him on the sofa beside her where he promptly laid down and closed his eyes.

What a day.

In the temporary silence, her mind inevitably drifted back to the girl she knew was separated from her by nothing more than a flimsy wall.

What was Blake doing right now? Making dinner? Watching some TV? What type of food did she like to eat? Or what TV shows did she watch? Yang would definitely be a fan of anything that captured the attention of those gorgeous amber eyes.

"Ok seriously - you just met," she scolded herself. "Stop being so creepy."

Forcing herself to her feet she walked over to the stack of boxes in an effort to distract herself. But once she was standing in front of at least another two days work she found that she didn't have the energy to even _pretend_ to unpack.

Instead of pulling things out of boxes, she would much rather daydream about the girl next door.

Groaning out loud, she walked into the empty kitchen and drummed her fingers impatiently on the granite top of the island. There was nothing she could do right now to distract herself! They didn't even have the TV set up. There was literally only a sofa and a mountain of boxes in the living room, and the bedrooms weren't any better.

Pretty girls normally didn't stay on her mind for this long - she met them, said hello, chatted a bit, then went her separate way. So this was an entirely new experience for her. They'd literally spoken for only a few seconds and yet...

"Why don't you just go ask her out?" she finally asked herself.

Her feet must have been waiting for that question this entire time because, before she could think through any type of repercussions, she was at the front door and quietly letting herself out into the hallway.

No big deal - she talked to girls all the time and often asked for their numbers. Mostly because people would dare her to, but still, she had a lot of experience asking people out.

She really didn't know why Nora found it so amusing though…

Since she talked to girls all the time, she knew just how unusual it was that her heart started beating faster the instant she stopped in front of Blake's door. And she knew how strange it was that her palms were sweating enough that she had to wipe them off on her pants before finally lifting one hand, taking a deep breath, and knocking twice.

No big deal. She just wanted to take Blake out on a date. It didn't even matter where they went, she just wanted to sit somewhere and listen to the girl talk for hours on end. Coffee, right? That was a good date idea.

A few seconds later the door opened a fraction of an inch and her heart jumped into her throat.

Definitely pretty. Even prettier than she remembered from a few minutes ago.

"Oh, hello again," Blake greeted her while opening the door fully.

Quick, Yang mentally yelled at herself. Ask her quick before your heart freaking explodes!

"Hey! Sorry to bother you. I know we just met and all, but I was just wondering if you…" her words trailed off when her brain finally processed the room behind Blake. Neat, organized...and filled with books. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases covering one whole wall were stuffed to the brim with hardbacks and paperbacks alike. There were so many books, there wasn't even room for a television in the apartment.

"Wow. Quite the collection you've got there. You like to read?" she asked instead, turning back to Blake only for the girl to divert her amber eyes towards the bookcases lining one side of the living room.

"I do...I spend a lot of time reading," Blake answered, fidgeting ever so slightly under Yang's gaze. It was difficult to tell if Blake was embarrassed or uncomfortable with the topic...like maybe she thought Yang was judging her for having so many books?

It was true that Yang had never met someone who owned so many books before...well, actually Weiss had an entire library at her house, but it was clear that Blake had _read_ all of the books on these shelves. They weren't just there for decoration.

Unique.

"So...what were you wondering?"

The question threw Yang completely off guard when combined with those inquisitive eyes. But again, Blake only met her gaze for a few seconds before glancing away. The lack of eye contact made her feel like something was wrong. Was it her? Maybe she was disturbing Blake by being here?

When Blake shifted uncomfortably, Yang finally understood. Or thought she understood.

Blake was shy.

Oh god. And Yang was going to rush in head first and ask the poor girl out.

Clearing her throat, she thanked the stars that no one else was here to witness her attempt to wiggle her way out of this potentially awkward situation.

"U-uh, yeah! I was actually wondering if you...had any salt?"

As soon as the question came out, she knew it was the best way to take this conversation. New neighbor just asking to borrow some salt - that was a low key encounter, right? Not at all suspicious or un-neighborly. Although salt was a pretty dumb thing to ask for...who didn't have salt?

"All our stuff is still in boxes and I have no idea where Ruby packed it, but knowing her it won't be in the box labeled 'kitchen stuff.'" She chuckled, knowing that it was absolutely plausible that Ruby had thrown at least one mislabeled item into each box.

The request seemed to surprise Blake, but she quickly recovered.

"Oh. Um...sure. Hold on one sec."

Leaving the door open, Blake walked back into the apartment. Instinctively, Yang had taken one step forward to follow only to freeze when she realized that Blake had never invited her inside. Not wanting to overstep any bounds, she made sure her feet were still planted firmly in the hallway while waiting patiently for Blake to return.

In the meantime, she allowed her eyes to wander around the apartment. Bookcases, small sofa that looked brand new, coffee table, and another small table sitting by a well-loved chair by the window. It was all very neat and orderly and...peaceful.

When Blake reappeared, salt shaker in hand, Yang focused all of her attention back upon the girl.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed when Blake passed over the shaker. "You're a lifesaver. My unseasoned dinner thanks you."

"You're welcome," Blake responded with a quick nod and a hint of an amused smile. Yang watched intently - willing a full smile into existence with no luck.

God...she wanted to see a full smile so badly now. She could only imagine how beautiful Blake would be when she actually smiled.

"Hey, so when Ruby and I settle in you should come over for dinner sometime - I'll cook!" Yang offered, flinching when the invitation sounded a little more forward than she'd intended it to be. Backing away from the door, she tried to make a hasty retreat before making things worse.

"Oh...ok, that sounds...nice," Blake replied hesitantly. The answer was just a _little_ more lukewarm than Yang would hope it to be, but she didn't let it put a dent in her smile.

"I'll get this back to you really soon!" She wiggled the salt shaker above her head.

"Don't worry - I won't need it until...tomorrow at the earliest."

"Got it - tomorrow it is!" she replied while turning slightly away, but not before giving Blake a parting smile and lighthearted wink.

Don't turn around, Yang mentally commanded herself while walking back to her door with legs that hardly wanted to function. Don't turn around unless you want her to know that you're still thinking about her.

But she _was_ still thinking about Blake, so she wasn't able to prevent herself from sending a quick glance back towards the girl - who was still watching her in return. Butterflies appeared in her stomach as she smiled and practically ran back into her new apartment. Zwei immediately came bounding over to greet her, tail wagging excitedly. Giving him a quick pat on the head, she walked into the kitchen and set the salt shaker down on the island before resting her chin on her hands and staring at it like it might be alive.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, only now beginning to slow down since she'd retreated to the safety of her own apartment. While her initial mission had been a complete failure, she'd at least managed to collect some important information! And salt - can't forget the salt.

Lots of books, lots of reading, willing to lend salt to a stranger, so damn pretty, and...shy. Or, at the very least, reserved.

Shy...she really had no idea what to do with that. But she had to have some shy friends that she could ask for advice, right?

Like wasn't…?

Or maybe…?

No, she really didn't have any shy friends. They were all just as loud and obnoxious as she was.

Ok, so she had no one to ask for advice, but at least she had a reason to go over there again! The salt shaker would have to find its way home eventually, after all. Unless she chickened out and just set it in front of Blake's door or something…

No, this would work. When Yang went to return the salt she could strike up another conversation - something that wasn't too prying or personal. If that wasn't enough, she would just do it again. She could build a foundation of tiny conversations and then, when she finally asked Blake out, it wouldn't be a surprise or unwelcome advance.

The last thing she wanted to do was scare Blake away and asking someone out after speaking for thirty seconds might do just that.

With a reluctant sigh, Yang walked over and opened the door to the startlingly empty refrigerator.

"Why couldn't you have asked for real food?" she mumbled to herself while taking in the empty shelves. "Like a steak and some potatoes or something…"

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick message to Ruby requesting some food to be brought home from dinner. Hearing little footsteps run up behind her, she looked down and found Zwei's big, begging eyes staring up at her expectantly.

"Don't worry, little guy," she said and walked over to grab the bag of dog food she'd lugged upstairs earlier. "We've got you covered."

When Zwei was happily eating, she spared one last glance at the salt shaker she'd managed to borrow before heading back to the living room to lounge on the sofa. Ruby would bring food later to satisfy the rumbles in her stomach, so in the meantime she would lay on the sofa, close her eyes, and _not_ think about Blake.

Or she would just lay on the sofa and close her eyes...


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all your kind words so far - I really appreciate it!**

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It had already been over a few weeks since two quick knocks had landed on the front door and nearly made her jump out of her seat in surprise. At the time she'd been so preoccupied watching the out-of-place black town car pull away from the curb that she hadn't even heard anyone walking in the hallway, but she'd been beyond curious as to who might be looking for her at that hour. Not even at that hour - who was looking for her, period? In the three years she'd lived in the building, she couldn't remember one time someone had knocked on her door.

When she'd found Yang standing on the other side of the door, her chest had immediately filled with butterflies. Something about the girl made her feel so...alive and connected. And while she might have initially been a little disappointed that Yang had only come over to borrow some salt, Blake was still inexplicably thrilled that the blonde had sought her out at all.

As promised, Yang had returned the salt shaker the very next day and then posed one question about what kind of books Blake liked to read before leaving again. That third interaction had been just as exciting as the first two, yet left her with a lingering wish for more time together. There were a lot of questions Blake would love to ask Yang, if given the opportunity.

While the dinner Yang had initially mentioned never seemed to materialize, whether because Blake hadn't seemed too enthusiastic about it when Yang had first brought it up or because Blake was the one who never brought up the subject again, she didn't know. But even if dinner never happened, her little corner of the apartment building had suddenly become a lot more lively.

It wasn't as if she had suddenly become best friends with her new neighbors, but she...well, they always seemed to be around. They passed in the hallway or outside on the sidewalk. She could vaguely hear them through their shared walls. And she could absolutely hear them when they walked past her front door. A few weeks ago she would have considered the extra noise and personal interactions to be a nuisance, but now that she'd gotten used to their presence it was actually comforting, in a way. With Ruby and Yang just a wall away, Blake felt like she was less...alone.

Somehow, Blake and Ruby seemed to have a very similar schedule - meaning that they ran into each other in the hallway fairly often. Actually...it was Ruby who normally ran into Blake, quite literally. The brunette seemed to have only one speed, which was somewhere between a fast jog and all out sprint. Blake had quickly learned to listen for the sound of feet racing down the hall before turning any corners lest the girl be flying towards her accompanied by the pint sized bundle of energy which was Zwei.

While Ruby was always running around, Yang traveled at a much more leisurely pace. Just a couple of times Blake and Yang had ended up taking the stairs together - the blonde also complaining about how slowly the elevators operated in the building. In those fleeting instances they spent together Yang would ask Blake a couple of questions - non-prying ones like how her day had been and if she was enjoying the wonderful weather outside. But then they would reach Blake's doorway and Yang would easily detach herself from the conversation and walk away with a friendly wave and 'see ya later' as she went.

There was so much Blake wanted to know about the blonde, but she could never summon the courage to ask anything more personal than 'how was your day?'

While she'd learned very little about Yang, she _had_ managed to determine the identity of the wealthy stranger who always arrived by black town car - the vehicle drawing immediate attention whenever it pulled to a stop in front of their building.

The girl's name was Weiss - a piece of information gathered through overheard conversations in the hall. Weiss turned out to be Ruby's...somewhat bossy...girlfriend. She came over often - nearly everyday. But instead of waiting in the car for Ruby to come downstairs, Weiss always came inside - walking right up to the door to retrieve Ruby, loud heels clicking down the hallway the entire time. The pair would squabble often - or, through the door it sounded more like Weiss scolding Ruby over something or another while they made their way back downstairs.

From what was overheard, Blake would never have concluded that the two were a couple. It was what she _saw_ when they got outside the building that had solidified that knowledge. Before getting into the car to be driven wherever they were going the two girls would kiss.

Every single time.

And not a friendly 'good to see you again' peck on the cheek. Chaste and tender, it was still easy to tell that there were feelings between the two that were much deeper and stronger than the overheard conversations would suggest. It was sweet and adorable and completely undid every assumption Blake had made about the girl through sharp quips heard through the apartment door.

And it made her heart race - from how adorable it was, but also because it was usually at these times, when Ruby was away, that -

A double knock on the door immediately drew her complete attention away from the window - the sound familiar in its light-hearted succinctness. Using a bookmark to save her place, she willingly abandoned the novel on the side table in favor of walking quickly to the door, her nerves building with every step. Stopping for one second to check her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall, she briefly ran one hand through her raven waves in an attempt to smooth them.

Resigned that this was as good as it would get without putting in some serious primping time, she unlocked the door and pulled it open without even bothering to check who was on the other side.

"Hey, Blake!"

A flush immediately took up residency on her cheeks, as it always did when Yang smiled at her so happily. Hopefully the shade looked so normal by now that Yang believed it was how Blake normally looked and didn't suspect it had anything to do with their meetings.

"Hello, Yang," she replied quietly, her own smile surely paltry when compared to the blonde's megawatt grin. "What can I help you with today?"

For a moment, Yang just grinned at Blake in this incessantly ecstatic way that seemed to appear whenever she smiled. It was only when she tilted her head slightly in confusion that Yang seemed to remember the purpose for her visit.

"Oh!" the girl responded with a small start and tap to the forehead. "I was wondering if you, maybe, had a pineapple and...a whisk I could borrow?"

A smile pulled even harder at the corners of her mouth, a small laugh threatening to escape.

"I actually _do_ have those things," she replied, stepping away from the door and gesturing for Yang to come inside. It was only with the invitation that Yang stepped carefully through the door and stood in the very middle of the room, swinging her arms while lilac eyes scanned the apartment carefully.

Yang always did this - standing in the same place as if not wanting to unwittingly disturb any of Blake's belongings with the added presence. But at the same time, Yang looked around so intently - like she was trying to memorize the interior. For the life of her, Blake couldn't figure out what Yang could possibly find that was so intriguing, but it was flattering all the same. And it had only been very recently that Yang would even set foot inside the door, so this was progress more than anything else.

"So...reading anything good?" Yang asked, nodding towards the book sitting by Blake's chair.

"The third book in the series - more knights and battles over kingdoms," she replied knowing that Yang would understand what she was referring to. Just last week she'd given the girl a quick recap of the first two books, after all.

"You'd think they'd of run out of kings to kill by now!"

"Now they're chasing down princes," she replied with a grin - for just the briefest of moments standing right in front of Yang in the middle of the living room. Her breath caught in her throat when Yang looked down at her with a warm smile that melted its way through to her heart.

"Well, sounds like a bloody good time," Yang quipped with a quick grin before looking down at the ground, shuffling her feet, and letting out a soft cough. "Anyway...what'll you read next? After you finish this series, I mean?"

"I have a few options...depends on what mood I'm in." Also sitting on the side table by her reading chair was a stack of new books that were already waiting for her to choose from. "I have science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, romance…" trailing off, she turned back at Yang only to find the girl staring intently at the books from across the room. "Any suggestions?"

"Oh, romance! Definitely romance," Yang replied before her eyes widened. "I-I mean, if you're into that type of thing."

The comment made Blake's cheeks flush. Was Yang asking if she liked reading romance stories...or if she was interested in romance in general?

This time she was the one who coughed lightly into her hand before replying.

"I...I mean, I bought the book so...I guess you could say I'm 'into' that type of...story."

The response made Yang chuckle and lean over to gently nudge Blake's shoulder with her own.

"Who isn't, right?"

Yang's eyes twinkled down at her - more enrapturing than a night sky filled with stars. If she could, Blake would spend all day staring into those eyes...except Yang would probably think that was little strange. But even now, Blake could feel herself being drawn in...

Breaking the gaze, Blake was finally able to gather her thoughts. There had been a purpose for walking inside, but she had forgotten it - ah! Yang had asked to borrow some things - Blake should probably go get those before she took anymore of Yang's time.

"I'll go get those things you asked for," she finally said before forcing herself into the kitchen to escape the magnetic pull emanating from the blonde.

As usual, Yang turned towards the kitchen to watch Blake move about, but didn't follow her any further than the edge of the living room. Feeling lilac eyes trace her every move, Blake tried to look calm and composed while pulling open multiple drawers to find the whisk she hardly ever used. After finding it in the bottom drawer of the island, she reached out to grab the pineapple that had been sitting on the counter untouched ever since she'd brought it home from the grocery store last week. She'd never thought she'd need it, but now she was glad she'd bought it.

"Ouch!" she gasped in quiet surprise, snatching her hand away from the fruit when the leaves jabbed into her fingertips. Glancing towards Yang to confirm that she had, in fact, caught Blake's mistake, she quickly picked up the pineapple from the bottom and carried it to the living room to present to Yang.

"Watch where you hold it," she warned. "Those spikes can be quite...spiky."

Internally she groaned at the lame choice of words, but in the moment her mind had completely blanked on anything wittier to say.

"Thanks for the warning!" Yang replied while carefully taking the fruit from Blake and balancing it in the palm of one hand and holding the whisk in the other. "I'll make sure to...prick my spot carefully."

Yang's eyes positively sparkled at the joke, the accompanying grin growing when Blake laughed in surprise at the unexpected bit of humor. Whenever Yang told any type of joke, Blake felt, for that brief instant, like they were closer than neighbors - like they were friends who could make jokes and laugh with one another, enjoying each other's company.

But the moment disappeared when Yang's eyes flitted to the front door and back.

"Anyway...I should probably get going...but you're the best!" The compliment only managed to increase the flush on Blake's face, but Yang was already walking towards the door so hopefully hadn't noticed. Blake trailed close behind, her disappointment at their abbreviated interaction growing with each step.

"I'll get them back to you as soon as possible!"

"Take your time," she replied while the blonde stepped out into the hall. It wasn't like she used a whisk...ever. And the pineapple she hadn't even known how to cut open, much less what she would eat it with.

With another grin and a wink thrown in for good measure, Yang turned and walked the few feet to next door. Before heading inside, Yang turned back to Blake one last time, smiling widening before finally disappearing from view. It was only then that Blake stepped back into her own apartment and closed the door.

Yang never lingered too long, which was always unsatisfying in a way. It didn't seem like the girl had anywhere to be, but...it felt more like Yang didn't want to impose on Blake's personal space for too long. She really wouldn't mind if their visits lasted longer though; after all, it was only due to these sporadic encounters that she'd begun buying the most random assortment of fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. She _wanted_ to have whatever Yang happened to be asking for, if only so that they would have the opportunity to talk for a few more minutes.

But maybe Yang didn't want Blake to get the wrong idea about the constant visits...or maybe Yang was merely just in need of these items and Blake was the kind neighbor who was always willing to lend a hand. It was strange though...because when Yang said 'borrow,' the girl truly meant borrow. Everything would be returned either later today or sometime tomorrow, seemingly untouched.

Trying not to be nosy, Blake had never asked what Yang needed all these things for - likely just how Yang probably didn't want to pry into Blake's life, as well. But she was immeasurably curious…she'd tried to come up for a few rational explanations by now, the best of which was that Yang might be a fruit photographer or she posed for professional portraits while holding the various fruits. Hopefully fully clothed, but -

Squashing that train of thought before she went too far down the rabbit hole, she also tried to quell the excitement Yang's visits elicited. Blake didn't want to be _that_ person - the neighbor who developed a crush on a girl who was being nothing but friendly. This was the first time in her life when she would honestly say that she might read too much. Just because Yang came over to borrow things all the time didn't mean that she liked Blake in _that_ way. This wasn't a romantic novel - this was real life. Not even real life, this was _Blake's_ life. And that type of storyline didn't happen to her, period.

Still...if she was forced to be honest with herself, she would admit that her feelings for Yang were a bit more than just neighborly. And in her imagination, which had been running rampant the past few weeks, she couldn't help but dream that Yang felt the same.

"Who are you kidding…" she quietly chided herself. "You're her neighbor, nothing more."

That's what she kept telling herself, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind that kept insisting what a great love story it would be. Two strangers who happen to become next door neighbors - destined to be together, they quickly fall in love and embark upon their new life together, filled with adventures and happiness and -

"I read too many stories," she surmised with a groan. Walking back to the window, she sank into the chair and picked up the book to carry on where she'd just left off. But with a section of her mind still replaying each second she'd just spent with Yang, her attention never fully returned to the story in front of her.


	4. Chapter 4

The tacky, direct-to-TV movie she'd been watching was just ending when she heard a key enter the lock on the front door marking Ruby and Weiss' return. Picking up the remote to turn down the volume a bit, she listened while the two girls strolled back into the apartment, not bothering to sit up from her comfortable position reclined fully on the sofa.

"Hey, how was the movie?" she asked after Zwei had jumped up to greet them, craning her neck to watch the girls take off their shoes in the front hall. Apparently, Weiss would be staying a little while today.

"Great!" Ruby answered cheerfully at the exact same moment Weiss said, "Awful."

The heiress' response only made Ruby giggle and gleefully kiss Weiss quickly on the cheek before running into the kitchen.

"We have leftovers if you want some, Yang!" the girl called out on the way.

Finally sitting up in order to make room for Weiss to join her, Yang watched in amusement as the girl plopped down at the other end of the sofa looking defeated in every sense of the word.

"Was it really that bad?"

"It had aliens, ghosts, _and_ zombies, Yang."

"Oh…"

Yang tried to hold back a grin in face of the girl's misery, but one slipped out anyway. Ruby had the _worst_ taste in movies. Seriously - the girl would watch anything that was lambasted by critics and the general public alike. If it was widely heralded as 'horrible' or 'cringe-worthy,' Ruby Rose had already seen it. In theaters. Probably more than once.

Honestly, Yang had no idea how her sister had developed such poor taste in films, but it was a quality Weiss paid for more often than not. Yang had to hand it to the girl for still going along with it after all this time - following Ruby to bad movie after bad movie with hardly any complaints.

It was actually these horrible movie dates that had made Yang realize that Weiss was actually serious about Ruby. No one voluntarily went to see so many F grade movies for anything other than true love. And Weiss didn't just _go_ to these movies - she actually searched out new movies as they were released, selected the showtimes to surprise Ruby, and paid for the misery.

If that wasn't true love, Yang didn't know what was.

One of the unanticipated benefits of Weiss going to the movies with Ruby was that Yang no longer had to. It had been a duty she'd fulfilled responsibly for far too many years of her life...it had been time for someone else to take up the mantle.

"At the end of the _two_ _hour_ debacle, the main character revealed that he was a _robot_ programmed to act like a human," Weiss explained, both of them smiling when 'spoiler alert!' was yelled from the kitchen.

Chuckling at the succinct synopsis of what sounded like one of the worst movies yet, Yang reached over and patted Weiss' shoulder consolingly.

"I don't think she'll ever change her taste in movies," she said with a wink. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Weiss replied with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Uh...Yang?"

They both turned towards the sound of Ruby's voice and found the brunette walking into the living room with a pineapple in one hand.

"Why do we have a pineapple?"

"Oh!" Yang quickly hopped to her feet and carefully relieved her sister of the spiky fruit. "I should take this back now."

Glancing at the clock hung on the wall, she determined that it was still early enough to make an appearance next door.

"You're _still_ borrowing random things from her?" Ruby asked in astonishment.

"Uh...yeah," Yang responded as if that were the most obvious answer in the world. Ruby's silver eyes watched as she tossed the fruit skillfully up in the air several times, managing to avoid the spiky leaves when she caught it just right. 'The Pineapple Toss' she'd so cleverly named it. Not that she'd spent hours practicing it, like she wanted to impress Blake by being able to spin it in the air and catch it without poking herself.

Who was she kidding? That's exactly what she'd done.

"Wait, who is this? Is it the girl next door?" Weiss asked with an amused smile. "Why don't you just ask her out already?"

"Because! Ruby, you've met her. She's super...I dunno, she seems really shy. The last thing I want to do is scare her away." Turning to her sister for support in that claim, Ruby obediently nodded her head up and down several times.

"That's true. She does seem like she enjoys keeping to herself..."

"So...instead you go bother her all the time to borrow random fruits?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Which you then don't even use?"

"Yup!" Yang answered proudly, watching the heiress extend one hand towards Ruby - clearly requesting that the brunette join her on the sofa. "You'd be surprised what sort of crazy stuff she has in her kitchen. Plus...you can't disagree that she's one _fine-apple_ ," she quipped with a big grin, holding up the fruit at the same moment she winked at Ruby and Weiss.

Weiss immediately rolled her eyes. "Good. You got that out of your system before you go over there and make a fool of yourself. Although it sounds like you're going to be doing that anyway."

"That was a good one!" Yang complained, entirely convinced that Weiss just never understood the puns and that's why she never laughed. "Plus, she thinks I'm funny! I mean, I think she does..."

Ruby giggled at the comment while falling practically on top of Weiss on the sofa.

"I thought it was funny…" the brunette said, cooing softly when Weiss began running a hand through short strands of brown hair. Huffing, Weiss was forced to drop her assault on Yang's joke since Ruby had approved of it, but apparently that wasn't the only bone Weiss had to pick with Yang tonight.

"It just seems so...juvenile. Going over there all the time asking for things..." It was meant to be an insult, but was relatively lackluster since most of Weiss' attention was being steadily drawn to Ruby.

"Do you have any better ideas? Because I'm more than open to hearing them."

"Stalk her grocery list and take things she might need?" Weiss answered dryly. "Oh wait, you're already doing that…"

Weiss grinned when Ruby giggled at the (rather lame) attempt at a joke.

"Nice one," Yang replied sarcastically. "Or how about...I know. I could buy her favorite restaurant, then every time she comes in I can give her free cookies and milkshakes to make her like me. Oh wait, _you_ already did that..."

Left without an immediate comeback, Weiss pursed her lips while a faint blush appeared on her white cheeks. Yang grinned in the face of Weiss' clear discomfort. That little ploy had been so obvious at the time - to everyone except Ruby, that is.

"We all play to our strengths," Weiss finally retorted. "You missed a button, by the way."

Looking down at her shirt, Yang fought the blush she could feel emerging at the intentionally ignored button. Maybe Weiss had a little bit of a point...but there was no way in hell Yang would ever admit that. Ruby just giggled and gave Weiss another peck on the cheek - rewarding snarky behavior, as usual.

"You were so cute though! I would have liked you even without the free cookies!"

While Weiss actively blushed from such a simple remark, Yang rolled her eyes and stood from the sofa.

"You're lucky Ruby has such low standards," she commented playfully before strolling into the kitchen to retrieve the whisk she'd borrowed along with the pineapple, earning herself a loud 'hey!' of protest from her sister. When she found the whisk and walked back into the living room, she found that the two girls hadn't moved an inch.

"Be back soon - so don't get _too_ busy while I'm gone, you hear," she said, pointing the whisk at them while issuing her demand. Ruby just looked back at her curiously.

"What do you mean 'busy?'"

While Weiss' cheeks grew a dark shade of red, Yang burst out laughing and shook her head.

"If you're going to make out, go do it in your room," she answered bluntly, grinning when Ruby's cheeks joined Weiss' as a nice shade of scarlet red.

Honestly. The two were still as tentative as hedgehogs when she was around and blushed at _any_ mention of anything even remotely intimate. But it was probably a good thing...because if she ever walked in on the two of them kissing she would probably permanently lose either her sanity or vision, possibly both. Doors were invented for a reason, after all...

Tossing the pineapple up in the air on the way towards the front door, she gave them a quick wave before leaving.

"Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Ruby yelled loud enough to make Yang cringe, clearly much more interested in a certain white haired heiress than her right now.

Rolling her eyes again at the love stricken girls, she closed the door securely behind her after stepping into the hallway. Looking left and right she found no one in sight, which was pretty standard for this time. By now everyone had already arrived home and was safely tucked in for the night.

Pausing in the hallway midway between the two apartments, she took a brief moment to collect her thoughts - probably looking just a _little_ weird while holding a whole pineapple and a kitchen whisk in her hands.

Usually she'd just say whatever came to mind first, but she'd been told that she could be a little...overbearing? Over enthusiastic? Overzealous? Whatever it was, she wanted to be a little _less_ of it, which was difficult to do when something about Blake was so very interesting. And intriguing. Yang wanted to know _as much_ about Blake as possible...without scaring her away. And when Blake gave off the aura of a kitten, it seemed like that might be easy to do.

But it was always exciting - the few minutes they would spend together. It was always the highlight of Yang's day.

Glancing down, she briefly considered buttoning her shirt all the way up before shaking her head and silently cursing Weiss for the uncertainty. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the courage to move into what she considered to be Blake's side of the corridor. Her feet took her directly to Blake's door, where she raised one hand and knocked twice.

It hadn't been intentional for two quick knocks to become her calling card, but when Blake had mentioned it Yang realized that now she HAD to knock two times. It was actually kind of sweet - Blake would know who it was before even opening the door. That would probably help with the whole 'scaring her off' problem.

Not more than a few seconds later the door opened and Yang instantly smiled - partly out of habit but mostly out of pure happiness to see the beautiful girl on the other side.

"Hey, Blake!" she said, her heart doing a little stutter step when Blake returned the smile.

"Hi Yang."

The greeting was demure, as usual, and Blake glanced briefly downward as if trying to escape Yang's gaze. The brief moment gave her the opportunity to marvel at the girl's eyelashes, curling upward so delicately. And Blake's dark hair falling in soft waves past her shoulders, held back by an almost invisible black ribbon.

Yang could say that she knew a lot of girls, and had met many more, but none of them were anywhere near as gorgeous as Blake was. There were no fancy outfits or masks of makeup, yet still Yang's breath was taken away each and every time they met. It was like Blake had mastered some type of subtle beauty that the rest of the world had yet to find.

She was...effortlessly beautiful.

Starting when amber eyes focused back on her, Yang nervously moved her hands only to be pricked by something pointy. Briefly wondering why the heck she was holding a pineapple, she finally remembered her goal in coming over here tonight.

"I brought back your things," she said, taking the opportunity to nonchalantly toss the pineapple up in the air and...promptly drop it on the ground. For just a second, the two of them stared at the fruit in surprise before Yang quickly bent down to pick it up - her cheeks flushing all the while.

"Aw man, sorry that was totally…" Embarrassing? Horrifying? Emotionally scarring? "My bad…" she finished while straightening back up and offering the fruit to Blake like a normal person.

Yang was blushing _so hard_ right now, but the little smile of entertainment on Blake's lips might just be worth it.

"You didn't need these for very long," was all Blake said in response - thankfully bypassing the failed pineapple toss.

"Naw, just a day will do, you know?" Yang replied, really having no idea what having a pineapple for one day would accomplish, but hoping Blake wouldn't ask.

And she didn't. Nodding to herself, Blake made no motion to turn away from the door.

It always went like this when Yang came to return whatever she'd borrowed. There were a few seconds where it seemed like Blake _might_ want to continue a conversation, but Yang was so unsure that she was reading the moment correctly that she didn't dare try to press the subject.

The end result - they both stood there for a few seconds in silence before Blake finally broke the spell by taking one step away from the front door.

"Do you need anything else for whatever project you're working on?"

"Ah you're too kind!" Yang said, meaning it fully. "I think I'm good for now, but I'll definitely let you know if I think of anything else!"

When Blake nodded, Yang surreptitiously looked over the girl's shoulder to see the cover of whatever book was sitting on the little table by the window. She'd quickly learned that that table was where Blake did all of her reading - and where the current book would be sitting when it was waiting to be picked up again.

"On the next book already?" Yang asked when she saw a different cover than yesterday.

"Last book in the series," Blake answered only after glancing back in order to figure out how Yang had known. "I'm expecting more than a few of my favorite characters to die…"

"Aww, well if you're feeling bummed you can always come over to my place and watch a horrible movie!"

The offer slipped out before she'd completely thought it through and she could have smacked herself for it immediately afterward. Here she was, trying NOT to move too quickly or be overbearingly friendly, and she'd invited Blake over _again_.

While Yang's brain switched into damage control mode, Blake tilted her head to one side and gave Yang a curious expression.

"Horrible movie?"

 _Thank god_ that's what Blake chose to focus on more than the implications of coming over to Yang's apartment to watch a movie together. Not that she had any bad intentions - she only had good intentions. Great intentions! But not like... _those_ types of...ok, nevermind that for now - she could easily pull herself out of this situation.

"Right! You probably didn't know this, but Ruby really loves awful movies - awful as in they have horrible actors and costumes and the plots never make any sense."

"Oh, I didn't know that -"

"Yeah, her and Weiss just got back from one actually," Yang continued, knowing that the more she kept talking, the further they would get from her ill-advised invitation. "Weiss said it had something to do with lizards and werewolves or...something."

A grin inched its way onto her lips when Blake began laughing, the sound more than enough of a reward for coming over here tonight.

"That does sound riveting," the girl replied jokingly, eyes still twinkling with the remainder of a laugh. "You'd think the werewolves would just eat the lizards though."

"Wouldn't you? But there was some twist at the end…" For the life of her, Yang couldn't remember what Weiss had just said a few minutes ago. That seemed to happen to Yang a lot when she came over here and she was prone to blaming Blake's apartment. Asbestos in the air, maybe...or lead paint? Something about this space seemed to make her brain blank whenever she needed it. Giving up, she shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno...maybe one of the lizards turned into a dragon or something."

Playing along, Blake nodded like she already knew what movie Yang was talking about.

"It would have been more of a twist for one of the werewolves to turn into a dragon though."

This time Yang laughed, which she noticed made the reserved girl seem very pleased. She _loved_ it when Blake would make jokes, no matter how small they might seem. It had been happening more and more often recently - the tiny insights giving away the fact that Blake had a great sense of humor, it just took a little while for it to shine.

Yang loved it though. She loved that she got to witness of piece of Blake's personality that a casual observer would completely miss. And, more than anything else, it made her really, _really_ want to ask Blake out. She wanted to spend an entire evening - an entire day - getting to know the _real_ Blake.

But when Yang's laughter had subsided and they lapsed back into silence, she heard the invisible alarm in her mind going off. It was the one that told her she might have overstayed her welcome - that she should probably take her leave before she became an intruder in Blake's personal space.

"Anyway," she reluctantly said while taking a step away from Blake's door. "Thank you again for the whisk...and pineapple! Really helpful."

"You're welcome," Blake replied with a nod and adorable little smile.

"So I'll...see you around, I guess!"

"Yes, I'll see you around."

A smile and a wink later, Yang was walking slowly back to the apartment she shared with her younger sister. It had become a habit of hers to dawdle through this hallway in hopes that if she took enough time, she would run into Blake. Ruby never stopped complaining about the snail's pace, but that didn't concern Yang in the slightest. They didn't _all_ need to move at the speed of light.

And each time she walked away from Blake's door, Yang told herself that she wouldn't be caught looking back.

Each time she failed.

Finding Blake watching, Yang grinned and gave the girl a wave before walking back into her apartment, heart racing. Blake's eyes always followed Yang all the way through the door...she watched for some reason other than curiosity, right? If the situations were reversed, Yang definitely knew that she would watch Blake for as long as she possibly could - she could probably never get enough.

Resuming her spot on the sofa in the now-empty living room, she picked up the remote and absentmindedly flipped through the channels even though her mind was so far from the television right now. When Zwei trotted over to greet her, she patted the seat beside her, inviting him to jump up and curl into a ball by her side. Absentmindedly petting him while he fell asleep, she replayed the whole interaction again - going through it piece by piece, taking it apart and analyzing it to see where she could have done better.

In the end, she was always left with the same thoughts - she wished that she could stay longer, she wished that she could ask all of the questions that popped into mind, and...she wished that she had a reason to go over there that wasn't asking for random kitchen items. But she didn't want to risk lingering and overstaying her welcome. It wasn't like one of her friend's places where she could make herself at home and stay until she was literally thrown out the door.

The only reason she was going about this so carefully was because something about Blake was different. It was there, in her smile, in her eyes, in the way she moved and talked and smiled and laughed. It was in the feeling that Yang had never felt before...a fire that had sprung up in her chest the instant she'd laid eyes on Blake in the hallway when they'd been moving in. There didn't seem to be any explanation for it other than it was Blake and only Blake who made her feel this way.

So, while she normally wouldn't consider herself to be very patient person, she would tread lightly and carefully - taking all the time Blake could need.

Just...hopefully it wouldn't take too much longer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Valentine's Day! Is there a more perfect way to celebrate than to read more of a budding romance between our favorite pair?**

* * *

It would do her no good to dwell on the past, but that's precisely what she'd been doing all day long. On the plus side, it meant that her day at work had been far less tedious than normal. But time tended to pass quickly when she spent every waking minute picking apart the interaction she'd had with Yang yesterday.

One thing was already certain - the blonde had injected a degree of excitement into Blake's life which she hadn't had before. Like before, going home from work had been her favorite part of the day because it meant that she could finally sit down and read interrupted. It was still her favorite part of the day, but her zealousness in rushing home had much more to do with the possibility of seeing Yang than it did the uninteresting book she was currently reading.

 _Yang_ was interesting though. Interesting and...exciting. More and more, Blake was finding that all of her spare thoughts involved the blonde in some way, shape, or form. Even when she dove into her books, hoping that mythical realms would transport her mind away from her new neighbor, she found herself imagining Yang as one of the characters in the story.

This character was kind of like Yang, that character was the opposite of Yang...and more often than not, Yang filled the role of the main love interest - someone to be pined over until one day, when the stars aligned, everything would fall into place.

This could very easily turn into an unhealthy obsession, she was sure. But...what could be unhealthy about it? Yang made her feel alive and vibrant in a way she'd never felt before. Every second they spent together, making small talk as they were, seemed to tiptoe on the very edge of her nerves - sending jolts like live wires into her stomach and beyond.

 _Feeling_ this alive couldn't be unhealthy. Plus, as she stood in line to purchase more fruits and vegetables, she was positive that she'd never eaten so healthily.

"Wow, quite the assortment," the cashier commented before grabbing the first item - a smooth, potato-looking bulb called jicama - and entering the product code into the register.

Not knowing how to respond, she merely gave the clerk a small smile while he continued his work ringing up the wide variety of produce. How could she explain her shopping decisions? That her neighbor liked to ask for random fruits and she liked being able to provide them? And that said neighbor also happened to be an incredibly beautiful girl who was just as consuming as one of her favorite books?

Actually, it was rather simple to explain, but that explanation made her sound exactly like what she'd sworn she wouldn't be - the girl-next-door with an ill-advised crush on her personable, attractive neighbor who was being nothing more than friendly.

"$19.71," the boy said while taking the money she'd already prepared for him. "So are you making a crazy fruit salad or what?"

"That's exactly right," she replied with another smile, accepting her bag and change in return. "Good guess."

Clearly pleased with himself, the boy gave her a wave before automatically turning his full attention to the next person in line and likely forgetting the entire conversation they'd just had.

Loaded with her newest possessions, Blake made her way out of the small store on her way home. Thankfully it wasn't too long of a walk back to her apartment and the bag she carried wasn't heavy. Plus, the walk would give her time to think. Most likely about...the current book she was reading.

Shaking her head lightly, she didn't know why she still insisted upon lying to herself. Normally she devoured books, flying through them at a lightning pace, but recently she'd been stumbling through them one by one. More often than not she found herself lost in the midst of a daydream while staring out the window at people passing by on the street. It would take several minutes before she would realize that she'd been staring at the same page and had forgotten what was going on in the story.

Yang had taken over her thoughts - a complete and total takeover that had happened seemingly overnight. Her mind still fought against the idea, mostly because the idea of giving in, of unconditional surrender, made her nervous in a way she couldn't quite describe. Having an unrequited love was really not something she wanted to get into...

Regardless, she cherished every scrap of information she learned about Yang. And sometimes, that meant relishing in a small snippet about Ruby as well.

Horrible movies, huh? That had certainly been an unexpected bit of knowledge.

Walking through the lobby door, she took an immediate left in order to enter the staircase.

Off the top of her head, she couldn't think of any movie she'd seen that was particularly horrible and definitely nothing on the scale of the example Yang had given last night.

Her stomach clenched when she passed the second story - finally remembering what she'd been trying hard NOT to think about over the past day.

Yang had invited Blake over to watch a movie. And, like the inexperienced socialite that she was, she hadn't even managed to respond to the invitation. In her defense, in the moment she'd been so caught off guard that she'd no idea what to say. And then Yang had carried on as if it had been a slip of the tongue, making Blake realize that the blonde probably had lots of friends and was used to casually inviting them over for anything and everything. Just because it was a big deal for Blake didn't mean that it also was for Yang.

Shoving open the door to the fourth floor, she thought about what might would have happened if she had actually managed to accept. If they did watch a movie together one day...would it be just the two of them? Would they sit on the same sofa together, legs brushing, maybe? Would they talk afterwards for hours about what they'd like and disliked about the film? Maybe gently arguing their own theories as to why specific decisions had been made?

Too late she heard the footsteps pounding around the corner towards her - moving far too fast for her to dodge the incoming collision. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes just as she saw Ruby tear around the corner, the girl looking over her shoulder at whoever happened to be behind her. The next few seconds were a jumble of legs, arms, and produce after Ruby slammed into Blake at a solid run - the girl letting out a shriek of surprise while Blake heard a loud 'oomph' when the air left her lungs in a hurry. When they finally came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, she was staring up at the light bulb directly above her head.

After laying still for a few seconds to regain her breath, she slowly tried moving her limbs, checking for any damage. Carefully pushing herself into a seated position, she found Ruby sitting right beside her. The girl was rubbing the side of her head with one hand while giving Blake a rather sheepish smile.

"Ruby! Are you ok?"

Another person knelt down beside them then, who Blake immediately recognized as Weiss - the girl with the town car who also happened to be Ruby's girlfriend. If Blake hadn't already know that last fact, it would have been painfully obvious by the unconcealed concern emitting from light blue eyes.

Weiss grabbed Ruby's head and looked the girl carefully up and down, poking and prodding to make sure everything worked like it should.

"I'm fineeee," Ruby whined, earning a soft slap on the head after the words.

"Well good! I _told_ you not to run in the halls!"

"I'm sorryyy," Ruby apologized first to Weiss before turning to Blake with mournful silver eyes. "I'm really sorry, Blake. I didn't see you there!"

"It's ok, Ruby," she replied before searching around the ground for the groceries that had spilled all over the hall. "It's my fault for...being solid, I guess."

Ruby giggled while helping scoop up some of Blake's runaway produce and handing it back to her. Weiss also stooped down to grab the runaway jicama and handed it over to Blake.

Blake never seen Weiss up close before, but was amazed at how discerning her crystal blue eyes were. It seemed like she was observing Blake very closely...far more closely than she would expect seeing as how she hadn't done anything to deserve such attention. Well, besides being the literal wall her girlfriend had just run into, Blake hadn't done anything to deserve the attention.

"You have quite an...eclectic taste," Weiss commented thoughtfully while glancing again at the contents of Blake's bag.

"Making a fruit salad," she immediately replied, clutching the bag a little closer and giving silent thanks to the cashier for providing her with the plausible excuse.

"Huh...I would never have thought to put those flavors together..." Weiss replied before calmly taking Ruby's hand and pulling the girl away. "Come on, Ruby. We don't want to miss the beginning of the movie."

"Bye Blake!" the brunette called back to her happily. "I promise not to run in the halls anymore! Around the corners, at least!"

Shaking her head when the two girls disappeared from sight, she made her way back to her apartment. She honestly had no idea what types of fruits she'd picked up today, but from Weiss' expression they would _not_ make a very tasty salad if combined.

Setting the bag in the kitchen to be unpacked later, she decided that first she would curl up in her chair and try to read a few more chapters.

A movie, that's what Weiss had said. A twitch pulled up the corners of her mouth when Blake realized that meant that they must have been heading off to another horrible movie courtesy of Ruby's personal tastes. She would have to admit that she was a little curious to know exactly how bad these movies were. Were they so bad that they were funny? Or were they the cringeworthy type of bad?

Two knocks on the door made her jump in surprise.

It was earlier than Yang had ever come over before. And Yang had just been here last night…normally she didn't come over two days in a row until it was to return what she'd just borrowed.

That didn't keep Blake from walking quickly over to open the door, finding there was nothing she could do to restrain a smile when it was Yang standing on the other side. As usual, her smile was nearly blinding, forcing Blake's eyes temporarily away before she craved seeing that grin again.

"Hey, Blake! I'm sorry to bother you so early, but I was wondering if you had any grapes?"

There was a tiny part of her that was always disappointed by the request, but most of her was positively thrilled that Yang had come over yet again.

But had she picked up grapes today?

"Oh, I'm actually not sure," she said. "I can go check."

Yang nodded patiently and Blake had already turned away when she remembered that Yang wouldn't come inside unless she was invited.

"You're more than welcome to come in, you know."

Yang grinned at the news and obediently stepped inside. "Just trying not to overstep my bounds, ya know?"

Walking into the middle of the living room, Yang again swung her arms and looked towards the bookshelves while Blake went into the kitchen and found that she _did_ have grapes. That was a fortunate coincidence. Grabbing the bag, she rejoined Yang.

"If you ever wanted to borrow one," she said, nodding towards the rows of books while handing the grapes over, "Feel free."

The offer slipped out before she had thought it through and for just a brief second she froze in shock. She _never_ offered to loan her books to anyone because she didn't trust people to take care of them like she did. There was nothing worse than receiving a book back with a bent cover, folded over pages, or coffee stains.

"Really?" Yang asked, appearing just as surprised as Blake was by the offer. "I...I wouldn't even know where to start."

But it was Yang. Blake was willing to let Yang borrow a book or two...or twenty...if it meant they could spend just a few more minutes together,

"Why don't we take a look?" Blake said, walking closer to the shelves so she could scan the titles. She glanced sideways when she felt Yang take a step beside her, also peering at the titles written on the spines of the novels.

"What kind of books do you like?" she asked as she tried to ignore the vague waves of heat emanating from Yang's close proximity. Her pulse was creeping up from this new experience - she could lean over and brush shoulders with Yang if she wanted to. Or they could reach out for the same book and accidentally brush hands...

Yang's laugh snapped Blake back to real life. "Honestly, it's been a long time since I've read an entire book, so I really wouldn't know."

The reply didn't surprise her and she nodded knowingly. Most people didn't read anymore - at least, nothing more than a magazine or a news article here and there. But that shouldn't be a discouragement from picking up a new book and trying it out.

"In that case, maybe one of these," she replied, pointing to a row of books she considered to be fun and easy to read - if a little mindless. They were light on overly complex storylines, which was perfect to get someone back into reading full length novels.

When Yang stepped even closer to the shelves, Blake suddenly had the thought that maybe she shouldn't be pressuring the girl into reading. Yang probably had better things to do than sit at home reading all night, after all. Just because it was something Blake liked to do didn't mean Yang had to do it too.

"Please don't feel obligated," Blake quickly added. "But if you ever _wanted_ to…"

"No no, I should really read more," Yang replied, turning to give Blake a warm smile that softened all of her worries in a heartbeat. From this distance, she could clearly see the light freckles scattered across the blonde's cheeks and the flecks of gold in lilac eyes. In that brief moment, her breath caught in her lungs, only freeing when Yang turned away.

"Oh hey!" Yang exclaimed, pointing towards one of the titles. "Aren't they making this into a movie?"

"They are."

"When it comes out, we should totally go see it!"

Blake's eyes widened at the unexpected invitation.

"O-oh, well I...don't go to the movies that often, but -"

"Right, and books turned into movies usually suck, don't they?" the blonde mused before chuckling. "That last one got horrible reviews, I heard."

"I heard about that too," Blake replied with a small smile. Honestly, it was a little difficult to think when her heart was pounding in her ears like this. But Yang had just asked her out, right? Inviting someone to a movie was normally a...date?

She could feel herself coming back down to earth the further the moment fell behind them while Yang continued searching through the books on the shelf. It hadn't been an _actual_ date invitation - just a spur of the moment invitation. There was no need for Blake to read into it so closely.

"How about this one - _The Fire Within_? Sounds like a light read."

Yang pointed to the book but didn't touch it herself, waiting for Blake to pull it out.

"I think you'll enjoy it," she said, handing it over and gratefully noticing how carefully Yang held it in her hands. "You'll have to let me know what you think of it."

"That, I will most certainly do," Yang replied with another smile. For a few seconds the two of them just stood there smiling at each other, as if what had just transpired had been very enjoyable for both of them.

Maybe Blake was crazy, but it felt like there was something different about today - like there was an additional energy running between the two of them. Like...she had just lent Yang one of her books...so they couldn't be considered 'just neighbors' anymore, could they?

Even if it seemed like the offer had already expired, maybe Blake should actually accept the invitation. Going to a movie with Yang actually sounded wonderful - Blake didn't even care what movie it was. It could be Ruby's pick, for all she cared. But just when she opened her mouth to say something, Yang's eyes shifted to the front door.

"I guess I should head back."

"Oh...right." Disappointment swelled in her chest as she trailed Yang back to the front door, but she found that she didn't have the courage to bring up the topic anymore. "Let me know if you need anything else?"

"Absolutely. And thank you, Blake. You've been the best neighbor anyone could ask for."

When Yang walked away, she turned back and waved to Blake right before disappearing next door, just like she always did. Blake smiled and waved back before closing her door, feeling her smile immediately fall.

The best neighbor anyone could ask for…

For whatever reason, the label was disheartening to her. Even though no one had called her a good neighbor before, she wanted to be something more than that. At least, to Yang. She wanted Yang to come over freely to see Blake...just to talk. And she wanted...she wanted to go on a date with Yang. A real date where it was clear that they weren't just spending time together as friends. She wanted to date Yang, she was certain of that now.

The only question was...how?

It would be helpful if Blake hadn't already unintentionally declined about five invitations to hang out outside of the apartment.

When she walked back into the living room, her eyes were automatically drawn to the thin gap in a solid line of books on one of the shelves. In a way, it felt like she'd just given Yang a small piece of herself when she'd pulled that book away from the others. Rather than to feel vulnerable, like she would expect, she wanted to give even more. Yang could borrow everything in the apartment, as far as Blake was concerned.

With a sigh, she walked back to her book and sat down, determined to finish it tonight.

If only she could stop thinking of how much she wanted to be _more_ than just a neighbor to Yang...maybe, if the moment was right and Blake found enough courage, she could be the one to ask Yang out.

That was an awfully big 'maybe.'


	6. Chapter 6

Lounging on the sofa, book in hand, she tried to ignore the sounds of Ruby and Weiss buzzing around the kitchen. They were making something for dinner - Yang didn't know what it was yet, but it smelled good, like it usually did when Ruby was around to supervise. Weiss cooking on her own was...well...let's just say that Weiss was really good at ordering takeout food.

And nearly setting their kitchen on fire.

For someone so pompous and poised, Yang would never have thought Weiss was capable of being so unintentionally dangerous around kitchen utensils…

On the other hand, Ruby was a fantastic cook. Like really, really good. When the two had just started dating, it had been beyond amusing to watch Weiss try to internally cope with the fact that she wasn't the best at everything. Sure, Weiss was impressed and proud of Ruby's acumen, but at the same time struggled mightily to bring her own skills up to par.

Thankfully, she'd given up that hopeless endeavor before anyone was seriously hurt and waved the white flag of surrender in the kitchen. Nowadays Ruby was fully in charge of cooking while Weiss played the role of assistant/sous chef.

Yang made sure to remind Weiss (often) that sous chef meant 'under' the chef - as in _less skilled_ than Ruby. The long-running tease actually wasn't working very well anymore though. The last couple of times Yang had said it, Weiss had just shrugged her shoulders and given Ruby a peck on the cheek.

Maybe Weiss was finally growing up...

"Yang! Dinner's ready!" Ruby called out from the kitchen a few minutes later. Weiss walked out of the kitchen at the same instant, a plate of steaming food held in her hands.

"Is that...are you _reading_?" she asked in surprise while setting the plate down on the table.

"Mhmm…" Yang muttered in reply, eyes reaching the end of the chapter before she closed the book and set it down. "I was trying to finish it tonight."

Excited about the opportunity to return the book and discuss the story with Blake, Yang had been reading literally all day and most of last night. She would have already been finished if she hadn't been reading so slowly, but she wanted to make sure she paid close attention to everything that was happening. There was this sneaky feeling in the back of her mind that talking about the book might really get Blake to open up. It would be common ground, right? Something they'd both read and mutually experienced.

From there...right now Yang wasn't really sure, but hopefully they'd inch just a bit closer to spending some more time together. Maybe she could invite Blake to talk about books over coffee or tea? Or fruit, maybe? Blake seemed to really enjoy her fruit...

"Where did you even get a book from?" Ruby asked curiously as she joined Weiss at the small dining table.

"Next door," Yang answered, not missing the smirk the reply brought to Weiss' face. "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh, nothing," Weiss said while setting the silverware out. "Just can't believe you're still doing this whole 'borrowing' strategy."

"Hey, it's worked so far! And once I finish this book I'm going to have a whole bunch of things to talk to her about!"

"Yes, like how you've never even seen the inside of a library before," Weiss teased.

Rolling her eyes, Yang carefully set the book down on the cleanest part of the coffee table before standing to join her sister and Weiss for dinner.

Maybe she didn't visit libraries _often_ , but she'd certainly been in one at least once in her life! If anything, there had been a library in her elementary school that her class had had storytime in once a week.

"Oh, thanks for the hint about the grapes by the way."

Yesterday, Weiss had sent a message that she'd seen Blake carrying in some grapes from the grocery store and for once Yang had actually known what to ask for instead of flying blind. Of course, once she'd stepped into the girl's apartment she might as well have been blind - and deaf for that matter. Or just plain stupid.

A date. She'd asked Blake out on a date without even thinking about it!

And...she was pretty sure that Blake had been planning to turn the invitation down. Maybe. At the time, she had been so nervous that she really didn't know if she was remembering things correctly now. All she could remember was the little voice in her head calling her an idiot over and over while pulling any type of fire alarm it could find.

"I'm guessing that we're not actually allowed to _eat_ the grapes then?" When Yang gave Weiss a pointed look, she smirked again. "Thought so."

"Awww...but I was looking forward to having some after dinner!" Ruby whined.

The pained look Weiss gave Ruby was so seethrough Yang had to laugh as she spooned some pasta onto her plate.

"We can go get some later if you still want them?" Weiss asked, blue eyes begging for that to make Ruby's look of disappointment go away. When Ruby grinned at the offer, Weiss visibly relaxed and Yang rolled her eyes.

"Whipped," she muttered under her breath, loud enough for Weiss to overhear and send a glare across the table.

Yang loved to give Weiss a hard time. Wasn't that the older sister's job? But it actually made Yang really grateful that someone would go so far out of their way to keep Ruby happy. Her little sister deserved that. So Yang might tease Weiss about it, but if she ever stopped bending over backwards for Ruby they'd need to have an unpleasant conversation.

When dinner had been finished and she'd helped clean and put away all of the dishes, there were still several chapters of Blake's book calling her name. But she was at the point where she knew she wouldn't be able to finish the entire book _and_ return it tonight. And...well...she really wanted to see Blake again, so…

Grabbing the grapes off of the kitchen counter she decided that finishing the book would just have to wait until later. It actually worked out better this way, now that she thought about it. Today she could return the grapes and tomorrow, the book. That was two more visits in two days!

Whistling to herself while walking out the front door, she found herself standing in front of Blake's door in no time at all.

"No big deal, just returning the grapes," she told herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.

It didn't help. Knowing that Blake was just on the other side of the door always made her heart beat a bit faster and her palms feel a little more clammy.

"Ok, one - stop asking her out," she whispered. "And two - stop making lame jokes!"

Clearing her throat, she knocked twice and waited only a few seconds before the door swung all the way open - a far cry from the little cracked opening she'd been greeted with the first time she'd come over. See? Progress had been made! Her 'borrowing' strategy, as Weiss had put it, was working.

"Hey Blake!"

"Yang," Blake responded with a timid smile. "It's nice to see you again."

The unexpected greeting actually made Yang shuffle back an inch in surprise before she grinned. Her stomach was filled with butterflies now - of the good variety.

"It's, um, great to see you too," she answered as an unfamiliar heat sprang to her cheeks. Coughing, she held the bag of grapes up in between them. "I just came by to return these to you."

When Blake took the bag with a smile of appreciation, Yang finally asked a question she'd had for quite some time now.

"You know, I've been kinda wondering...what do you do with all these different fruits?"

"I make fruit salads."

"Really?" Her shocked response was met with laughter on Blake's end.

"No...I usually just eat them plain. But I've been told that's something they would be good for."

"Ah, I was totally gonna ask to try some!"

Was it just her imagination or did that comment make Blake blush a little? The girl definitely turned her gaze downward for a quick second before finally looking back at Yang with shining amber eyes.

"I would share some with you...if I did…"

Blake _was_ blushing now - Yang was sure of it. It sent a fresh wave of butterflies fluttering through her chest while she stared in amazement.

Could this mean…?

Maybe Yang was going to have to break one of the rules she'd just made for herself at the front door...but Blake spoke again first.

"So, how do you like the book so far?"

This was it - the question Yang had been waiting for. And Blake's eyes were anxiously waiting the answer, locked onto her with far more focus than normal.

"Not quite done yet, but I really like it!" she replied truthfully. "It's got some drama, some redemption and some super cute cuddles. I'm kinda worried about what's going to happen next though...seems like they're going against a few too many enemies at once."

Blake nodded in agreement, so Yang's brief synopsis must have been on the right track.

"I don't want to give anything away...but when you're finished we can discuss in detail," Blake said with another smile.

"Absolutely! I can't wait! To talk to you about it, I mean."

What was wrong with her today? Something about Blake was making it even more difficult to speak than usual. It was the blushing - it had to be.

"And maybe, when I'm done with this one, you could recommend something else?" Yang asked. "I could probably use a little more reading in my life."

The request brought out a smile the made her heart stutter.

"Of course. I'd love to do that for you."

Blake's smile was _so_ beautiful. Almost overwhelmingly so. In search of a brief respite, Yang allowed her gaze to drift around the apartment while willing her heart to settle down.

By now she'd memorized the layout of the living room area. Then there was the open doorway to the kitchen where Blake kept all sorts of random fruits and vegetables. And the last door, furthest from them, must be Blake's bedroom.

"Oh - I just realized," she began to say after a clear picture of their two apartments materialized in her mind. "You share a wall with Ruby."

Blake nodded and gave Yang a knowing smile.

"Yes, I do."

Her nose crinkled at the thought of sharing a wall with Ruby and, therefore, sometimes Weiss. Thankfully their apartment was set up with a small hallway between the two bedrooms, but...

"I don't even -"

"She calls her 'Speedy.'"

"Ahh!" Yang gasped playfully while clasping her hands over her ears. "Why did you tell me that? I'm going to be scarred for life!"

When Blake laughed at the overreaction, Yang did too - the two of them locking eyes for a moment. And...something felt different. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like the air was charged with energy - a static she could practically hear buzzing around her.

Blake was breaking eye contact far less. And speaking more. And maybe Yang was just reading too much into things, but it almost felt like Blake...liked her.

 _Liked_ her.

A lot of people had liked her before and she'd suffered through more than her fair share of uncomfortable confessions, but this time it felt like she'd just flown to the moon and back. A beautiful, intelligent, _amazing_ girl liked her? If she was right...

She was going to do it - she was going to ask Blake out. Right now. Something easy - coffee or tea or...a bookstore or something. Maybe a library wouldn't actually be a bad idea? And if Blake didn't seem that into it, Yang could always pretend that it was just a friendly invitation. Friends inviting friends to libraries - it was totally a thing.

"Hey, I know this might seem out of the blue, but I was wondering if -" she stopped talking when she heard an alarm - not the alarm in her head, but an actual alarm beeping somewhere in the room with them.

"Oh," Blake said, walking over to the coffee table and quickly ending the sound. "I have a reminder to water my plants." The girl pointed to several pots that were placed around the apartment. "Otherwise I forget."

Glancing around at the living things Yang had always thought were fake because they were so green, she smiled.

"That's really smart!" she replied happily, hoping that Blake couldn't hear the jackhammer pounding in her chest.

When Blake turned those beautiful amber eyes back on her, she froze up. She really didn't want Blake to turn her down, and she wasn't absolutely positive that Blake would say yes yet. Were they even friends? Or were they still just neighbors?

"Anyway, should probably get going," she said, hastily backing away and flushing when she bumped into the doorframe. "I don't want to take anymore of your time. I'm sure you have more important things to do! Plus, I want to finish up that book."

Blake opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but then nodded and smiled. "You'll let me know when you're done reading it?"

"Absolutely!" Yang answered with a grin while backtracking towards her own apartment. "You'll be the first one to know."

When Blake smiled back, Yang paused. There was definitely something different about today, but was she sure? Was she absolutely sure?

Shaking her head lightly to herself, she gave Blake one last smile and a wave before heading into her apartment and closing the door. Weiss was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine, so Yang walked over and flopped down on the seat with a loud sigh.

"What's with the sigh?" the girl asked, only briefly glancing up from whatever she was reading.

The question made Yang's brow furrow. What was she most upset about? That she didn't know how to ask Blake out, that she didn't know if Blake liked her _that_ way, or that it made her incredibly nervous to think that she might say the words and hear Blake say no in return?

"I just...I want to ask her out so bad!" she finally wailed, collapsing back against the sofa and burying her face in her hands. "But I don't know if it's too soon!"

The wait was beginning to kill her - she was certain of it. If she went to her doctor right now, he'd probably be seriously concerned at the dramatic decline in her normally perfect health over the past month. Had she stopped taking care of herself? No, she'd just met a gorgeous, exquisite girl who stayed on her mind 24/7. What could the recommended treatment plan for that be? Quarantine? Exile? Lobotomy?

When Yang chanced a look over at Weiss, she found the girl staring with an amused smile on her lips.

"Why is this so funny to you?"

Weiss positively beamed at the question.

"Because you're always so...self-assured and gung-ho around other girls. It's nice to see one who's actually got you thinking for once."

"Yeah, real great..." Yang muttered, briefly wondering if that had actually been an insult in disguise. "I've been thinking about her so much I literally can't sleep."

Whatever reply Weiss had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been that. Her eyes briefly widened, but the expression was gone the next second when the girl turned back to her magazine with apparent disinterest in the entire situation.

"If you like her _that_ much, then you should ask her already. No pretending to go over there to borrow something stupid - just go and ask her. You never know, she could like you too."

Scoffing on instinct to any advice Weiss offered, Yang then grew quiet and mulled over the words closely. Just...go over and ask? That's what she'd been planning on initially, but had lost the nerve when she'd seen that Blake wasn't like the other girls she knew. But now that they knew each other a little better...would that work?

At this point, it was a better plan than her current one. Plus, she was going to drive herself crazy if _something_ didn't happen between the two of them soon. Even if that something was a crushing decline from Blake, followed by a hugely uncomfortable falling out where they could no longer even speak to each other because it was just so awkward to be in each other's presence. Then there would be the inevitable day when Blake brought home someone else and they had to pass each other in the halls - Yang would have to smile and pretend that she was totally ok with everything even while it ate away at her...

Yeah, she watched way too much TV. But it was probably best not to think about the possible downfalls when trying to summon courage. Maybe tomorrow night she could go over and ask without any pretenses about being there to borrow something or talk about the book. She would just ask Blake out - on a date.

She could do that, right? And if Blake said no...well, then she and Ruby would just have to move again.

"Thanks, Weiss," Yang finally said, slapping the girl's knee lightly with the back of one hand before standing up. "Sometimes you're not half bad."

While Weiss flipped a page with a huff of indignation, Yang grabbed Blake's book and headed towards her bedroom just as Ruby came bounding into the living room. Grabbing ahold of her sister, Yang rustled the girl's hair in order to earn a small squeal of protest.

"Yangg!"

"I'll be reading in my room - just remember, these doors aren't soundproof."

"Why would we need soundproof doors?" Ruby asked, squirming away in order to race over to Weiss on the sofa.

"I dunno 'Speedy,' why _would_ we need soundproof doors?" Yang asked with a huge grin.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion at the question, but the look of horror on Weiss' face was pure gold.

See? Being friends with Blake was already paying huge dividends. Being _more_ than friends would be even better, right?


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm sure you have more important things to do!_

 _Not really - plus, I really enjoy talking to you._

How difficult was that to say? It was only nine flimsy little words.

...since she hadn't managed to say it, apparently it was impossible. For her, at least.

Something about Yang completely destroyed Blake's usually firm grasp on her composure. It had to be the smell of Yang's shampoo or the color of her eyes or...something. Whatever it was, it made it extremely difficult to come up with interesting, engaging responses when she was too busy being flustered by Yang's mere presence. It didn't help that Yang was so beautiful.

When her brain conjured an image of her next door neighbor on cue, Blake briefly hid her head in her hands.

Nope, _definitely_ didn't help that Yang was so beautiful.

In just a few short weeks Blake had gone from being helpful, if not a little shy, to harboring a massive, all consuming crush on the girl next door. Even though she'd tried to convince herself out of it time and time again, the feelings had stuck around and grown into something that refused to fade away. More often than not, she caught herself daydreaming about the two of them going out on a date together. They would share stories and talk about their days while walking around - maybe Yang would hold her hand, their fingers intertwined, and maybe at the end of their date, Yang would leave Blake with a kiss goodnight…

Her cheeks flushed at the mere thought of it.

Hopeless fantasies did her little good...and yet she kept right on having them. They were harmless, right? It wasn't like Yang seemed to have any idea about Blake's true feelings.

Which was probably a good thing. If Yang somehow found out about Blake's crush and didn't feel an ounce of attraction in return...well, it would most likely be very uncomfortable and awkward in the building. Bumping into each other in the hallway would no longer fill her with excitement, but would make her blush in embarrassment. And she was pretty sure Yang would stop coming over to borrow anything…

For those reasons, it was probably best that things stayed the same between them. Neighbors...almost friends...that was better than putting herself out there just to be shot down. After all, there was little chance that someone like Yang would be interested in someone like her.

These were all good reasons why Blake _shouldn't_ ask Yang out - which she had failed to even attempt yesterday. Asking someone out really wasn't one of Blake's strengths, anyway. And when it was unclear that Yang had any feelings for Blake above 'neighborly,' she had very good reason to hold her tongue.

Unless Yang did feel the same way. In which case, it would be a lot easier for Blake if Yang _did_ know and could initiate the first move.

But there was no way Yang felt the same way. What Blake interpreted as flirting was just Yang being friendly.

...right?

"You need to stop thinking about her," she muttered to herself while walking into the kitchen and picking a couple of grapes from the bag Yang had just returned to her. " _Especially_ like that. You're hardly even friends, let alone..."

A burst of laughter filtered through the wall next door and to her ears. There seemed to be more talking and laughing going on today than usual. Maybe they were feeling extra rambunctious…

When a loud bang reverberated through the wall followed by a crash of glass, she jolted in surprise. Staring towards her kitchen cabinets, she smiled when a muffled, "Sorry Blake!" was shouted through to her.

Surprisingly, it was really enjoyable to have neighbors her age that she actually got along with. Even if they hadn't become best friends or anything yet, their lively energy made everything more interesting and upbeat. Simply by living beside Yang and Ruby, Blake felt like her own life was a bit more spirited as well.

Popping another grape into her mouth, she returned to the living room and immediately thought about Yang. This time, the bookshelves reminded her that Yang had asked for some more book suggestions. It had been the cutest request anyone had ever made of her and she was willing to put a great deal of effort into finding the perfect story for Yang.

Walking over to start her search on the shelves on the far left, she allowed her eyes to glaze over spine after spine, writing most off in less than a second. In most cases, she didn't even need to read the title - she knew which book it was just by its placement and its color.

What would Yang like though? Was she more into fiction? Nonfiction? Adventure? ...romance?

Blake's cheeks warmed when her eyes landed upon one such romance book that was a little...risque. It was a great overall story of a forbidden romance that always brought tears to her eyes, but some of the scenes were particularly steamy. The thought of Yang reading the book and knowing that _Blake_ had read it - not only read it, but _owned_ a copy…

Her eyes moved away as her cheeks grew even warmer.

That wasn't the right choice for now. Definitely not. She would never be able to survive making that recommendation and then _discussing_ the story with Yang after the fact.

Whittling out everything in the first bookcase, she moved seamlessly to the next one. There was a lot of pressure to pick exactly the right book. The first one had been an off-the-cuff suggestion that Yang seemed willing to pick on her own, but this would be a full-fledged recommendation from Blake. More than anything she wanted Yang to enjoy it, but also keep coming back for more…

Recommendations, that is. Was it so bad to want to be Yang's personal book guru? It was one of the things Blake was truly skilled at, after all. And the idea of being able to discuss all of these stories with Yang...hearing her thoughts and reactions...was something Blake hadn't even realized she would desire so greatly. Reading to her had always been a solo endeavor. It was something she did to escape the world and delve into new ones on her own. It wasn't until Yang had walked out the door with Blake's book in hand that she realized it was possible to take someone else along for the journey.

So she needed to pick a good one. What she was searching for was something light-hearted, action-packed, and addictive enough to make it a fast and enjoyable read. Something like…

Smiling, she reached out and removed one of the books from its space on the shelf. Flipping it over in her hands, she nodded in satisfaction.

 _The Dust Chronicles_. There were several more books in the series which Yang could continue if she wanted, but the first book was enjoyable as a stand alone feature.

This was one of Blake's all-time favorite series - a label she didn't apply lightly. She had discovered it completely on accident in the bargain bin of a cute little secondhand bookstore and devoured all five parts in just two days. And it was one of the few series that she would actually love to see made into a movie. Maybe one day she and Yang could even go see it…

Ok, there was no need to get ahead of herself. But maybe she should reread the books...then she would have a clearer memory of what happened and could discuss with Yang more fervently. They were quick reads thankfully. And highly addictive. Plus, Blake kind of had an imaginary crush on the main character.

Even though her mind was already made up, she quickly glanced over the remaining shelves to see if anything else jumped out as a better option. Finding nothing, she set the first book down on the coffee table so that she would remember to give it to Yang whenever she came over next. Every part of Blake hoped that it would be today, but she didn't want to get her hopes up _too_ high just yet - Yang had a life of her own, after all.

Now that that was done...she supposed she could try to read. 'Try' being the operative word. Concentrating on her books had been a little difficult recently with how much her mind enjoyed thinking about Yang instead. But after getting situated in her favorite chair, Blake picked up the book that had been resting on the table and tried to block Yang from entering her mind.

Her momentary focus failed when a black town car slid into view outside the window, pulling right up to the front entrance before stopping. A smartly dressed driver got out of the car and raced around to the passenger side to open the door for Weiss to exit. As usual, the wealthy girl was dressed exceptionally well - wearing business attire that Blake could only assume meant that Weiss came here straight from work. With one nod to the driver, the girl headed into the building.

Even after Weiss had disappeared from view, Blake watched the car intently. From the numerous days she'd noted its arrival, she knew that if the car pulled away Weiss would be spending time with Ruby here. If the car stayed, Weiss was only here to pick Ruby up and the two would soon be on their way.

When a full minute had passed and the car hadn't moved, her excitement began to build. Another few minutes, the sound of Weiss' heels appeared and clicked down the corridor before disappearing next door. Blake had never thought of this before, but Weiss never knocked or rang the doorbell when she came over, at least, not that Blake ever heard. Which either meant that Yang and Ruby always left the door unlocked or that Weiss had a key to the apartment. Assuming it was the later, Weiss and Ruby were far more serious about each other than Blake had suspected.

Trying to focus her energy back on her book, her ears refused to cooperate with her. They were too busy trying to pick up voices from next door, but there was nothing to be heard but some muffles with occasional laughter thrown into the mix. It took a little longer than she'd been expecting, but eventually Weiss emerged in the hall while talking to someone who was quickly identified as Ruby by the upbeat voice.

Before the sound of footsteps had even disappeared down the hall, Blake's hope had built to new highs. She wanted to see Yang this evening...she knew that she'd just seen the blonde yesterday, but she was really hoping that Yang would come back over tonight. Maybe Yang had finished the book and would stay over for a little while to discuss it with Blake?

That was a good idea, actually! She would make a promise to herself right now - if Yang came over tonight and had finished the book, she would invite Yang to stay and discuss over a cup of tea. Or...something like that. Hopefully she could make the offer sound as friendly as possible and not completely give away her massive crush. And if Yang accepted, the two of them could spend more than just a few minutes together, which was what Blake really wanted. She didn't want Yang to keep running off after they'd barely gotten to see each other. She wanted Yang to sit across the table from her and talk - so that she could listen to the cheerful sound of Yang's voice, watch the girl's lips move, watch violet eyes sparkle with animation and candor...

Just the thought of it filled her stomach with jittery butterflies.

Imagining it was one thing, but in order for this dream to come true Blake would need to find the bravery to actually ask Yang to stay.

 _Have you finished the book yet?_

 _Yeah! This morning._

 _Would you like to come in? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it._

That would work. Hopefully. If she was able to say the words without stuttering.

Satisfied with the plan, she returned her attention towards the book held in her hands. Not that she would actually be able to read anything with the nerves already building in her stomach, but she could pretend for a little while. The romance story Yang had suggested Blake read next had turned out to be a delightful read, but only served to constantly remind her of what she wanted but couldn't seem to have with Yang.

After waiting for what felt like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. But it wasn't the knock she had been expecting. Three quick knocks, which was out of character...Yang had always used two before tonight. It was probably just a mistake though - maybe Yang was simply extra energetic or impatient at the moment.

Hurrying over, Blake pulled open the door with a smile that quickly faded to nothing. Whatever excitement she'd been feeling left her with a nearly audible _whoosh_ of air.

It wasn't Yang standing in the hallway with that beaming smile and invigorating aura. Rather, it was an orange haired girl with a quirky grin and even more energy than Ruby.

"Oh, hey!" the strange girl greeted Blake with a friendly wave. "I'm just hanging next door and Yang doesn't have any salsa, the goof. You wouldn't have any, would ya?"

Opening her mouth, Blake couldn't decide what she wanted to say in response to the sudden change in events. She'd been expecting Yang to come over to see her not...whoever this was. And why wouldn't Yang come over herself to ask Blake for the salsa versus sending over a stranger?

Those weren't questions she could pose to the girl in the hall though, who was still awaiting an answer.

"Um...yeah, I think I do - hold on," she replied before leaving the girl at the door and walking into the kitchen. After searching through a few cupboards, she found a jar of salsa that she'd picked up a little while ago during her weekly shopping sprees for random things. Walking back to the front door, the girl waiting there grinned happily upon seeing that Blake had been successful.

"So...you two are watching a movie or something?" she tried to ask nonchalantly while handing the jar over.

"Yup! I've only been begging her for a movie date for like _forever_ ," the girl replied with an easy smile before raising the salsa higher. "You - new best friend - are a lifesaver!"

Still with a grin on her face, the girl waltzed back to the apartment next door with an animated skip in her step.

"You're welcome…" Blake said quietly to the girl's back before quickly shutting the door. Her heart was beating rather fast, but not from excitement like usual. Instead it was something rather painful eating at her chest.

Of course, what had she been expecting? Someone like Yang would have multiple suitors after her at all times. So...why should Blake be so surprised if Yang actually took one of them up on an invitation for a movie date? It wasn't as if _Blake_ had been responding to any of Yang's invitations. In fact, Yang had invited her over to watch a movie and she hadn't answered, which was as good as a no. And Yang had even asked her out to a movie in theaters - again, Blake hadn't even responded to the invitation.

When she walked over to her favorite chair and sat down, she didn't even bother picking up her book and pretending to read. Instead, she stared out the window and tried not to hear anything next door. The last thing she wanted to do was to eavesdrop on their date. Which, thanks to her, would at least not suffer from a lack of salsa.

But Yang hadn't even come over to ask…

Was Blake really that far from Yang's consideration as a romantic interest? That she would send over a stranger seemed so blasé and...exactly what a mere neighbor might do.

' _Yeah, sure! Just go next door and ask Blake - she's real nice.'_

Hearing muffled voices next door, she closed her eyes and sighed.

Why was she so disappointed? She'd known all along that Yang was just stopping by because Blake was a hospitable neighbor who was always able to lend a hand (or a piece of fruit). It was nothing more than that, and it was foolish of her to pretend that it could be. Yang was just a crush. It had been fun while it lasted…

For a little while though, it had felt like _more_ than just a crush. It had felt like there was something between them that was sparking and flickering like a light trying to turn on.

Clearly that had just been her imagination. This was why she'd told herself not to develop any feelings for Yang...the feelings wouldn't be returned and then she would end up feeling exactly this way - like there was a wildfire spreading through her chest.

Yang was like the characters in Blake's novels - living in a world that she only dreamt about. In order for the two of them to come together, worlds would need to meld and timelines would need to shift. It just wasn't possible.

It would probably be best if they remained merely neighbors. Blake could continue to lend out whatever Yang needed, but hopefully without having to feel like this again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews :) I'm sorry I haven't had the opportunity to get back to a lot of you on them yet, but a great big thank you for taking a few minutes to leave me a message after each chapter! This story is just about wrapped up - about time to move on to the next!**

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Whistling some tune that had been stuck in her head for the past couple of days, she headed back into the living room with the wet towel slung over one shoulder. When Ruby had announced that she'd be going out with Weiss for dinner tonight, Yang had gotten so nervous about asking Blake out that she'd decided to take a shower first in order to calm herself down. Plus, smelling good might go a long way in getting Blake to say yes, right? Who didn't like someone who smelled like citrus?

If only it were that easy…Yang would willingly shower twice a day for the rest of her life if it meant Blake would positively say yes to a date. Their water bill would be massive, but it would totally be worth it.

On the plus side, she'd finished the book last night! While she'd been reading she'd even written down some notes to make sure she remembered some of the smaller details to discuss with Blake later. She'd never taken notes in school, yet here she was writing down thoughts and musings on various plot points in order to make the girl next door like her. Her teachers would probably be disappointed in her priorities...

Her whistling abruptly stopped when, instead of the empty living room she'd been expecting, she found none other than Nora Valkyrie sitting on her sofa chowing down on chips and salsa with Zwei sitting patiently at her feet waiting for the inevitable scraps to be tossed his way.

"Hey Nora," she greeted while taking the towel from her shoulder, spinning it several times and whipping it towards the girl. Nora snatched it easily out of the air without even dropping a chip.

"What's up Blondie? Let's watch that movie like you've been promising me!"

Rolling her eyes, she headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She'd stopped thinking anything of Nora showing up out of the blue a long time ago. Whenever Ren was busy Nora liked to come over and eat all their food then leave. Ruby must have let the girl in before leaving for dinner tonight. It was either that or Nora had figured out how to get into their apartment without a key...which meant they would quickly be eaten out of house and home.

"What happened to the plant?" she asked, pointing to the broken pieces of vase in the garbage can and taking a quick sip of water.

"It wasn't me!" Nora immediately whined. "Ruby tripped and knocked it off the table!"

"Uh huh…"

Nora sucked at lying. Or more like, Nora was good at lying, but only for about five seconds before she would inevitably spill the truth.

"She almost fell through the wall too. I might have given her a little shove, but she should have stayed on her feet!"

Yang rolled her eyes and shook her head. For whatever reason, Ruby and Nora loved to roughhouse with each other. It was about as evenly matched as David wrestling a hundred Goliaths. The look on Weiss' face whenever they went at it though...it was this fascinating mixture of horror, amusement, and fear for Ruby's safety. Not that Nora would ever intentionally harm Ruby - especially when Yang had it on good authority that Weiss had threatened everything in Nora's life if Ruby was ever seriously hurt.

"What movie did I promise to watch with you?" Yang asked while returning to the living room. When Nora held up a movie case, she leaned forward to read the title squished in between what looked like a horde of bloodied zombies.

"Body Snatchers 6?" she asked incredulously and firmly shook her head. "I think you've got the wrong person - you're looking for someone slightly shorter than me with brown hair and a rich heiress glued to her hip."

"Nope - you promised!" Nora replied resolutely. "Three months and five days ago - I said 'hey let's hang sometime!' and you laughed and said 'sure, whatever you want.'"

Staring in shock at the girl's surprisingly impeccable memory, Yang finally shook her head and decided that there was no point in arguing. Nora was going to stay and watch the movie anyway, so Yang might as well hang out too.

And from now on she was going to be more careful about using the phrase 'whatever you want'...

"Alright, let's get this over with," she teased as she crashed on the sofa beside the girl. The movie would be a couple hours max, which would give her plenty of time to work up the courage to go next door and talk to Blake. So...maybe this actually worked out perfectly for her. There was nothing like a good ol' D grade horror flick to boost her confidence.

Satisfied that her evening plans hadn't been completely destroyed, she reached forward, grabbed a chip, and stuck it into the jar of salsa before popping it in her mouth. The chips were a little stale, but other than that this would be a great movie snack. And the chips wouldn't have been so stale if she and Ruby hadn't run out of…

Salsa...

"Wait, Nora, where did the salsa come from?" she asked, picking up the jar and looking at the girl intently. It would run counter to _everything_ Nora was if the girl had actually brought over her own salsa, but maybe, just this one time -

"Girl next door," Nora answered distractedly while struggling to set up the movie. "She's real nice."

For a second, Yang's heart literally stopped beating. And then it warped into overdrive.

"You went next door? What did you say? What did she say?"

If her questions came out sounding panicked, that's because she was. Enough to drag Nora's attention away from the television set in shock - one chip hallway to her mouth. But this could be bad. Really really bad.

"I dunno - I told her we had mandatory movie time and needed salsa and she handed me that," Nora answered, pointing at the salsa.

"Mandatory movie time?" Yang pressed. "Or a movie date - did you call it a date, Nora?"

There was no reason to wait for Nora to answer the question because Nora called _everything_ a date. Movie date, dinner date, bathroom freaking date.

Still holding the jar of salsa, Yang jumped up and rushed next door.

This was a disaster - her absolute worst nightmare had just become reality. Actually, she hadn't even thought that this would be a possibility! The worst she'd come up with was that Blake would refuse a date request and then seeing each other would become uncomfortable. Never had Yang imagined that one of her friends would walk next door and basically masquerade as her girlfriend directly to the girl she _actually_ wanted to be her girlfriend.

All the time she'd spent laying the groundwork with Blake...all the time she'd spent being patient...and Nora had just waltzed in and nuked the whole thing in under five minutes for a jar of smashed tomatoes.

"Please, please answer," she muttered while knocking rapidly on Blake's door. In her nervousness she may have knocked more than two times, but she couldn't even remember now. She just needed Blake to answer so that she could try to fix this.

Thankfully, the door cracked open a little while later and Blake peered out - clearly surprised to see Yang standing there.

"Oh, hi Yang."

"Hi," she answered succinctly, feeling there was no time for formalities. "Listen, my friend Nora just came over to borrow this from you," she explained hastily while pressing the jar of salsa into Blake's hands. "I'm really sorry she bothered you - she's just an old friend from school. We're good friends, you know? She actually has a boyfriend, but whenever he's busy she likes to come over and bother Ruby and me. Which is what she's doing tonight. Bothering me - and, you know, you."

Out of breath, she paused in order to draw in some more oxygen and wait for Blake's response.

"Oh. Oh I see…"

Thinking that Blake would say more than that, Yang waited - she waited until the silence grew awkward and a little bit uncomfortable. But Blake wasn't making great eye contact and...now Yang didn't know what to say next. Should she apologize again? How could she make it abundantly clear that Nora never was and never would be any type of romantic interest? Was that even what Blake had thought? Did Blake even care?

"Her taste in movies is just as bad as Ruby's. Already have one rotten tomato in the family - sure don't need two!" Yang chuckled at the attempted joke, but it fell flat when Blake only cracked a small smile in response.

"What are you watching?"

"Something called Body Snatchers 6," Yang answered even though it didn't really seem like Blake cared much to know. Was this what it was like to make polite conversation? To ask questions just for the semblance of carrying on?

"Sounds interesting." _Finally_ Blake looked back to Yang and smiled - it wasn't the biggest, but at least it was something. Again though, they lapsed into silence that was nowhere near comfortable.

These were uncharted waters for the both of them and Yang had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do next.

"Um...did you want to -?" she began to ask, gesturing with one arm towards her apartment as if Blake would actually choose _now_ to come over and watch a movie with her.

"No, no. You two have fun. I have some...reading to do…" Blake's eyes turning downward and back towards the window after the response - clearly wanting to look anywhere but at Yang.

Glancing over Blake's shoulder, Yang found the book of the day lying on top of the little table, but there was also a book lying out on the coffee table. The sight was attention grabbing because...well, there was hardly ever a stray book in Blake's apartment.

"New one?" she ventured a guess, nodding towards the coffee table. Blake followed Yang's gaze before opening her mouth to say something, only for nothing to come out. The next second, Blake closed her mouth and nodded with another smile that failed to reach her eyes.

"Yes, a new one."

On a normal day Blake would tell Yang something about the book - its title, its genre, what made her want to buy it...but today there was nothing but endless silence shouting that Blake didn't want to speak on the subject anymore. Or any subject, it seemed.

But Yang really didn't want to leave without knowing that Blake was alright with what had happened. And Blake's lack of enthusiasm in going back to reading wasn't exactly the most reassuring in that regard...

"Are you sure you don't want to watch?" Yang asked again. "Because you're totally welcome to join us if you want to."

Hopefully it was just her imagination that Blake had flinched at the word 'us'...

"Yes, I'm sure. And you can keep this," Blake answered, handing back the jar of salsa and giving Yang a miniscule smile. "Wouldn't want your chips to be unaccompanied, after all."

"Ah, yeah, Nora would be real unhappy," she replied with a grin that instantly fell when she caught the look of ache that crossed Blake's face.

"Right. Wouldn't want that, would we?" Blake attempted another strained smile, but it didn't linger for very long.

With one hand Blake was holding onto the edge of the front door - looking like she would love nothing more than to close it between them. This certainly felt like when Yang was supposed to take her leave, more so than on any previous visit, but…

Even if she didn't want to go, she wasn't willing to overstay her welcome.

"Ok...then I'll...talk to you later?"

"Right, we'll talk later."

Turning away with a great deal of reluctance, Yang walked the few steps back to her own apartment with her brow scrunched together in confusion. Before she'd even reached her own door, she heard the door behind her snap quietly shut. Still, she looked back over her shoulder like she always did...finding nothing but the empty hallway behind her.

It felt like the door had slammed closed on her own heart.

Numbly walking back into her apartment, she sank into the seat next to Nora in stunned disbelief. With an 'oohhh' of excitement her friend grabbed the salsa out of her hands and began eating again, oblivious to her current state of complete dismay. When Nora started the movie, Yang leaned against the back of the sofa and allowed her mind to wander next door.

Something about that exchange had been really off...especially when compared to the last couple of times she'd gone over there. It was almost like _they_ had been body snatched and replaced by complete strangers - ones who didn't even know how to communicate with each other.

Just when she'd thought that maybe Blake would consider going out on a date with her, something like this happened. Not that it had been Nora's fault - she had only been joking about it being a movie date, but there was no way Blake could have known that.

Why was the thought of Yang being on a date with Nora that upsetting to Blake? Upsetting enough to shut Yang out?

The only reason she could think of for being upset would be if…

But Blake couldn't be jealous...could she?

Maybe Yang should put herself in Blake's shoes. What if a random girl knocked on the door and announced that she was going out on a date with Blake?

It wasn't even true and yet Yang could feel the heat of jealousy pouring into her veins. The thought of someone else getting to spend time with Blake...time that Yang herself wanted, but couldn't seem to have…

Yeah, that sucked.

But did Blake really think that their time together meant nothing? Sure, they weren't exactly sitting down and having deep conversations, but it wasn't like Yang was just going over there for the fun of it. It wasn't like she thought of Blake as just a neighbor to bum fruit off of. She'd been trying not to be too overbearing, but did that mean she'd come off as uninterested instead?

Because she was interested. A whole lot of interested.

Sighing, she snatched a chip from Nora's hand and ate it plain.

Ok, maybe she needed a new plan. Forget asking Blake out - Yang needed to do some damage control. Maybe...give Blake some time to calm down and then go over there to apologize profusely. Or, Yang needed to do something that _showed_ Blake how important their seemingly trivial interactions actually were.

And maybe, just maybe, tell Blake how she truly felt.


	9. Chapter 9

**I told you this would be a short one! Here's the final chapter - I hope everyone has enjoyed this little idea.**

 **I have more stories in progress right now, so keep an eye out for those in the future!**

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The next morning was not the greatest. Every single one of her brain cells was caught up on Yang - imagining things she should have said or done and replaying the entire sequence of events over and over again. Nothing she did seemed to keep her mind off of Yang. It didn't help that it was the weekend, so she didn't even have work to take up a tiny portion of her thoughts.

Now she was wishing that she had to go to work? The entire world had flipped on its head overnight...

Ever since that girl had appeared at her door yesterday - Nora, Yang had called her - Blake had been unable to focus on anything else. It felt like a vice had tightened around her heart, squeezing painfully whenever she pictured the pretty girl happily declaring that she was on a date with Yang.

Clean. That's what Blake would do to distract herself from the thought of Yang sitting just next door. Hopefully alone, but maybe after their movie had ended Nora had stayed the night?

Nope. Don't think about that. Just clean.

In the first few hours of the day, she dusted the bookshelves, wiped the countertops, collected the garbage (to be taken out later so she wouldn't risk running into Yang), vacuumed, and mopped the floors.

Standing in the middle of the living room with a mop still in hand, the sound of heels in the hallway immediately caught her full attention. Walking quickly over to the window, she found the street below was already empty. If the black town car had arrived, she'd been too busy cleaning to notice...and since it was already gone, she would imagine Weiss was sticking around for a while.

Which was...honestly kind of disheartening. Blake had been hoping that things could return to normal, but they couldn't if Weiss and Ruby were hanging out next door.

Maybe it was time for Blake to admit that she had missed her chance. If Yang had ever liked her, and that was a big IF, Blake should have been more opportunistic when they'd first met. But she'd been too uncertain and caught off guard to respond to any of Yang's casual invitations, so now here they were. Realistically, Blake couldn't be surprised or upset.

Her mind warped back to her last interaction with Yang - who had seemed almost panicked at the time. As if she REALLY didn't want Blake to believe that…

What if this was all a misunderstanding on her part? Yang had been so insistent that Nora was only a friend, but why would Yang feel the need to make that so clear?

Unless…

Sighing, she left the window behind and quickly paced the living room. She didn't like this at all. Before Ruby and Yang had moved in the weekends had been the holy grail of reading, but now she was going to spend all day fretting over whether or not Yang was actually seeing another girl. Not just any girl though - a pretty girl who was clearly outgoing and energetic. i.e. the exact opposite of Blake.

Maybe that was Yang's type? Although Blake really wouldn't know what type Yang had, since they'd never come remotely close to speaking about that topic.

Deciding that she could continue obsessing over the situation while making herself a late breakfast, she walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator in search of some ingredients to make an omelet. She had some smoked salmon that would go really nicely with it, but…she didn't have any eggs.

Closing the fridge door, she tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter. How had she run out of eggs? She'd just been at the grocery store yesterday! Clearly she'd been too busy selecting the strangest looking fruits she could find to actually buy the staples she was lacking.

Well...now what?

Embarrassingly late, the light bulb clicked on in her mind. This was actually perfect! Now she had a rock solid excuse for heading next door to talk to Yang. After all, she had borrowed a ton of things from Blake in the past few weeks. It wouldn't be too suspicious for Blake to request something in return, right?

Walking to the front door, she paused briefly before opening it. Did she really want to go through with this? She was out of eggs, after all, and she really didn't like how she'd left things with Yang. When she'd come over yesterday, Blake had been too upset at the thought of their date to engage Yang in any meaningful conversation. If Blake had been able to think clearly, that might have been a good time to ask Yang if she was actually on a date or if it was just a 'date' between friends.

But today...Blake was thinking a little more clearly. And after analyzing every single word that had been spoken yesterday, she'd found more than a few cracks in her initial assumptions. One of those cracks just happened to be Yang's actual assertion that Nora was just a friend.

So...she needed eggs and, most of all, she needed to talk to Yang.

If anything, this would be the perfect way to test the waters. If things were back to normal, then maybe there was a chance that Blake could salvage their friendship, or whatever it was the two of them were to each other. If Yang happened to be upset, Blake could apologize. Or if it turned out to be true that the two girls were seeing each other, then...she could pretend to be happy for them.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door and stepped into the hall. Her heart thumping in her chest, she took nervous steps towards the apartment next door, second guessing herself the entire time. But she was only halfway between the two apartments when the door in front of her opened, freezing her in her tracks.

Could she make it back to her apartment in time? No, she was too far. She would just have to explain to Ruby and Weiss -

"Yang?"

Her heart jumped into her throat when it wasn't Ruby or Weiss who stepped out into the hallway with her, but the very girl she'd set out to see.

"Blake?" Yang asked in surprise, looking around curiously before walking over to join her. Yang was carrying a shopping bag in each hand, which made Blake believe that the girl had just gotten back from the store.

Think, Blake, think. She knew that she had had a great reason to go over to Yang's, but the closer the blonde got, the harder that reason was to recall. Thankfully Yang was willing to speak first, even though she was looking far more uncomfortable than normal.

"Um...I was just about to come over because...well, I have some things to give you," Yang said, lifting up the grocery bags in her hands. Blake looked at them in confusion. As far as she remembered, Yang didn't owe her anything and hadn't borrowed anything...

"What things?"

Shuffling her feet, Yang briefly looked away and took a big breath before giving Blake her full attention.

"I...wanted to show you that, um...maybe it didn't seem like much to you, but every time you let me borrow something was important to me." Yang set the bags down in the middle of the hallway and pulled out an unopened container of table salt. "So I went and got you everything that you once let me borrow from you."

Blake dumbly took the container of salt when Yang held it up before she rooted around in the bag and removed more items.

"A pineapple...guava, red grapes, a lime, starfuit, the cutest little whisk I could find -" as Yang said the names she pulled out the corresponding item and set it gently on the ground by her feet. "Figs and dates - not to be confused, a pomegranate, a...kumquat, blueberries, three different kinds of apples, a nectarine, and...the thing that started it all - salt."

Yang gestured to the salt in Blake's hands while she stared at the random assortment of fruits arrayed in front of her.

Dusting off her hands, Yang stood and gave Blake a hesitant grin.

"I didn't forget anything, did I?"

"No," Blake immediately replied with a shake of her head, still too dumbfounded to form many coherent words. "You...remembered perfectly."

Yang had remembered everything...Blake had assumed that the blonde had forgotten each visit as soon as the item had been returned, but lying in front of her was evidence to the contrary.

"Thank god," Yang said with a relieved smile. "The guy at the supermarket thought I was totally crazy though - I couldn't remember some of the names so was trying to explain what they looked like. Apparently there are a lot of 'little round fruit thingys.'"

Blake smiled in response to Yang's grin - the simple act lightening the mood significantly.

"Anyway, sorry for bothering you…" Yang began to say before glancing around like she was just now realizing that they were in the middle of the hallway and not standing in front of Blake's door. "Wait, were you coming over to my apartment?"

When Yang made the connection, Blake's cheeks immediately flushed. There was no backing out now - there was no good reason for her to be this close to Yang's apartment when the exit was in the opposite direction. If she'd made it this far, she could will herself forward.

"Um...yes, I was."

Yang tilted her head in a clear question of Blake's reason, but remained silent in order to hear whatever she wanted to say next.

"I was coming over because...I was wondering...if you had an egg I could borrow," she said slowly, words conquering the hammering of her heart in her chest.

Yang's eyes filled with surprise while a smile lit her lips.

"Really?"

"Yes..."

There was a brief moment of silence before Yang started laughing at the reversal in their positions. The sound was so welcome to Blake's ears, she could feel even more of her anxiety melting away as she smiled in relief.

Maybe things were the same. Maybe nothing had changed.

"We actually do have some eggs you can borrow," Yang finally replied, waving for Blake to follow her. "Oh! But probably shouldn't leave this stuff here." Quickly stooping down, Yang grabbed all of the fruit and tossed them back into the bags. "Ouch!"

The girl stuck one finger into her mouth while gingerly picking the pineapple up from the bottom instead of the top leaves like she'd just tried to do.

"You've got to prick those up carefully," Blake said quietly. Yang burst into laughter - the sound making Blake smile in relief.

Once all the fruit had been packed away, Yang walked back to her door with Blake in tow. Just outside, Yang paused and looked both ways before turning back to Blake.

"Do you want to come inside?"

How many times had she daydreamed about going over to Yang's apartment? To have dinner together, to watch movies together...but still -

"I don't want to intrude…"

Yang immediately waved away the polite response.

"Nonsense. Weiss and Ruby are around, but they're going to lunch in a few minutes. Come on - we need to get you your eggs!"

When Yang gestured again to the door, Blake nodded. Grinning, Yang threw open the door with a grand flourish before gently bowing Blake inside. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the doorway first and immediately picked out the other occupants inside. Weiss was standing near the sofa, leaning against the back of it while watching Ruby tie her shoes and Zwei...well Zwei came instantly running over to smell Blake's leg.

"Oh, hey Blake!" Ruby greeted her, finishing with the laces and jumping up towards the door. "Don't see you here often!"

"Hi Ruby." Blake dipped her head towards the brunette before Weiss straightened and walked over to her.

"I don't think we've ever been officially introduced - I'm Weiss."

"Blake," she responded with a polite smile and shook Weiss' extended hand. The smile Weiss gave Blake turned into a grin when turned towards Yang.

"I know who you are - Yang only talks about you all -"

"Ooook! See ya later, Weiss! Thanks so much for stopping by," Yang suddenly interrupted, grabbing the girl by one arm and shoving her through the still open door. Ruby giggled and chased after her girlfriend, but not before stopping and leaning close to whisper - "Like all the time."

The two admissions set Blake's cheeks on fire and her heart aflutter. Before she'd come over she'd been nervous about Yang's feelings, but she was definitely feeling a little less so now. In her mind, Yang had forgotten all about Blake the moment they were out of each other's sight. Apparently that had been an incorrect assumption on her part - and welcome surprise to learn she'd been wrong.

After the two girls left, Yang closed the door and only then turned to Blake.

"Sorry about that!" Yang said with a smile and exaggerated sigh of relief. Walking away from the door, her movement drew Zwei right behind her. "That Weiss...she can be extra meddlesome sometimes."

"She seems nice though."

"Yeahhh I guess," Yang playfully grumbled before grinning and walking towards the kitchen. "Come on, let's find some eggs."

Slowly following Yang, Blake's eyes were busy trying to soak in as much information as she could. It was bigger than her apartment since they had two bedrooms, but otherwise the setup was vaguely similar. Except gone were the bookcases stuffed with books, replaced by a television and stacks of movies that she would be willing to guess were Ruby's horrible horror films.

"Aha!"

Turning to the right, Blake walked to the very edge of the kitchen just as Yang pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge and closed the door. "How many do you need?"

"Just one, I think," she answered, nerves beginning to explode like fireworks in her veins when she realized that this was it. This was her opportunity to say something to Yang. She could do this - she had to say something this time. Especially after Yang had been so sweet with the bags of fruit...

"Just one? What are you going to do with just one egg?" Yang asked curiously while carefully picking one out and setting it on the countertop. Blake stared at the egg for a few seconds, but didn't reach for it. Instead, she looked up to meet Yang's eyes - those lovely, lilac eyes she'd fallen for the moment they'd met.

If this were a scene in one of her books, she would be encouraging the main character to make the first move. This was her chance to play the lead.

"I think...I'll keep it at my place for a day...then bring it back to you tomorrow," she replied thoughtfully, the reply making Yang tilt her head in surprise.

"Why...why would you do that?"

Isn't it obvious, Yang?

"Because I'd like to have a reason to see you again."

For what felt like a long, long time, Yang stared at her - eyes searching hers intently. When Blake nervously smiled, Yang broke into a huge grin.

"You don't need an excuse to ever come see me," the blonde replied genuinely. "I'd love to spend time with you anytime. In fact, maybe...maybe sometime you and I could…" Yang paused and coughed while her cheeks grew an unmistakable shade of red. After opening and closing her mouth several more times, Yang finally looked directly into Blake's eyes and smiled. "Maybe we could go out sometime? Like on a date? A real date?"

It wasn't just Blake's cheeks that instantly began burning at the question - the tips of her ears felt like they were on fire too as a massive blush rushed through every blood vessel in her face. That was not what she'd expected to happen when she'd walked through the door several minutes ago. It almost felt too good to be true - too unreal to be happening to someone like her. But real life or not, she didn't hesitate in replying.

"I'd love to."

"Really?" Yang looked genuinely surprised by the answer, which in itself was surprising to Blake. Wasn't it obvious how much of a crush she'd had on Yang for quite some time now? Smiling, she nodded.

"Yes, of course."

"You're sure? Even after I nearly messed this whole thing up?"

"Are you trying to convince me out of it?"

"N-no! I just want to make sure you don't feel rushed or anything. I mean, that's why it took me so long to ask you, to begin with."

Blake's ears perked up at the phrase. Yang had been waiting? "How long did you wait?"

The question made Yang suddenly embarrassed - the girl reaching out and spinning the egg on the smooth countertop while avoiding eye contact. "Maybe...since the day we moved in..."

Blake's jaw might have dropped, but she'd never felt more relieved in her life. The feelings were mutual. That massive, unrealistic crush on her next door neighbor...it hadn't gone unrequited.

Maybe things weren't the same between them anymore. Maybe things had changed - in a good way.

"I'm glad you finally asked," she said, capturing Yang's eyes and attention once more. "Because I've been waiting just as long."

"Really?" Yang nearly squeaked in surprise. "You mean I could have stopped pretending to borrow things earlier?" When Blake started laughing, Yang smiled - if possible, an even brighter smile than any Blake had seen before.

"So when would you like to go? And where?" Yang finally asked. "Anywhere, anytime - I'm all yours."

Again Blake blushed at the insinuation, but answered, "Well...how about right now?"

"Now?"

"Yes. Did you finish the book?"

Yang grinned at the question, but instead of answering asked "Have you eaten breakfast?" in return.

This morning had been spent trying to avoid the thought of Yang, who was understandably linked to her kitchen, so no, she had not eaten.

"No," she answered with a shake of her head. "Why?"

Beaming harder, Yang turned around and began pulling things from the fridge and setting them on the island.

"Because I'm going to make you breakfast while we discuss my new favorite book."

"Really?"

"Yeah! And I don't wanna brag, but I'm the second best cook in this apartment. I can whip up an omelet in no time - how's that sound for a first date?"

Cheeks still flushing at the term, Blake nonetheless stepped into the kitchen and sat down on one of the barstools surrounding the island.

"That sounds amazing. And...how about for our second, I make you something."

"Like what?"

Looking at the two bags of produce sitting on the ground in the kitchen - filled with all of the random items Yang had used as an excuse to talk to Blake, she smiled.

"Fruit salad?"

The comment made Yang laugh happily, her lilac eyes sparkling with joy.

"You know, that sounds pretty egg-cellent." Yang held an egg up in one hand and winked on cue. Blake giggled at the joke, which only made Yang happier.

"We're going to make such a great pear," Yang continued, this time laughing happily along with Blake.

Was this going to be their thing - the inside jokes that only the two of them would understand? Fruit puns?

When she looked at Yang, whose eyes were sparkling playfully, a warmth spread through her chest that was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It was similar to what she felt when she read the most satisfyingly happy ending in one of her stories - where everything turned out just right and the main characters would live happily ever after.

"Yang…" she finally said, her cheeks warming in anticipation of what she was about to say. "I wanted you to know...I think you're really grape."

Bursting into laughter, Yang walked over and quickly kissed her on the cheek, releasing her with a loud 'mwuah!' before heading back to the stove and freezing like a statue. In slow motion, Yang spun back towards the island, jaw dropped in shock at what had just happened.

For her part, her cheek was burning where Yang's lips had just touched and her heart was beating impossibly fast.

"Uh...I just did that, huh," Yang said with an embarrassed cringe. "Can we just...forget that happened?"

While Yang looked at Blake hopefully, all she could think about was how it had felt to have Yang so close. The smell of her shampoo, the sensation of her soft lips...it all just seemed too good to be true. Shaking her head, she felt a twinge of remorse with Yang's expression fell flat - but she didn't plan on turning Yang down again.

"I would prefer to remember..." she answered softly, the reply immediately bringing back Yang's grin of happiness.

"Do I have permission to be forward now?"

Not quite understanding what that meant, Blake shrugged one shoulder and nodded her head. The instant she had signaled her approval, Yang took two long strides back over to her, placed one finger under her jaw to lift her chin, and caught her lips fully.

This kiss lasted much longer than the first - long enough for Blake to savor the smell of citrus shampoo and waves of warmth washing over her skin while the breath in her lungs steadily depleted. When Yang finally broke away, it was with an ecstatic grin still on her lips.

"Just thought I'd get that out of the way..." she whispered, gently brushing a strand of hair behind one of Blake's ears before turning back towards the kitchen. "Don't know if I could wait another few weeks for our first real kiss!"

At a total loss for words, Blake watched Yang prepare breakfast for their very first date with her cheeks profusely red and her heart pounding in her chest. And she loved every second of it.

Maybe her life wasn't actually boring. Maybe what she'd written off as uninteresting was actually just the process of waiting...waiting for someone truly remarkable to come along and brighten her day. Who knew that that person would be the girl next door?


End file.
